Private sector jobs to see little growth in the first quarter of 2013

Only half of employers in Costa Rica expect improvements in revenue from their companies, according to the Index of Business Expectations released this week.

The indicator measured by the Institute for Research in Economics at the University of Costa Rica shows how optimistic or pessimistic the country’s companies are for January-March this year.

The final result was 53.1 points, indicating that “business optimism is at the lowest point of the past three years,” the institute’s analysis states.

On average, 64 percent of employers expect to maintain their staff during the first quarter, while 23 percent said they may increase jobs. Twelve percent is considering layoffs for the next three months.

The most positive sectors for employment are agriculture and construction, although 8 out of 10 employers in those sectors also said they don’t intend on investmenting, the study concluded.