A study released this week by consulting firm Manpower Group indicates that 23 percent of employers in Costa Rica expect to increase their staffs for the last quarter of this year, while 72 percent expect no changes, and only 5 percent are considering cutting staff.
According to the projections, employment rates for this period would reach 18 percent growth.
Results were based on interviews with 620 employers and show an improvement over previous quarters.
For the first quarter of 2012, 26 percent of employers were considering hiring more workers. The percentage dropped to 20 percent in the second quarter and for the third, only 18 percent said they expected to hire more people.
According to the survey, the provinces of Cartago and Alajuela registered the biggest potential growth in hiring. The most promising sector for job openings is construction, with 22 percent, followed by transport and communications, where employers estimated to increase hiring by up to 27 percent, the study said.
