Hiring outlook in Costa Rica up 3 percent over last quarter, survey finds

Employers in Costa Rica reported slightly optimistic hiring plans for the next three months, according to the latest Employment Outlook Survey released Tuesday by consulting firm Manpower.

The country’s Net Employment Outlook increased from 11 to 14 percent from the previous quarter, although it decreased by 2 percent compared to the same quarter last year.

According to the study 17 percent of employers expect to increase their hiring in the next three months, 7 percent anticipate cuts and 75 percent said they do not plan any changes in staff.

As in Q1-2015, hiring expectations in the construction sector show the most positive outlook at 20 percent. Costa Rica’s construction sector has remained at the top of hiring expectations since Q4-2012, according to Manpower.

“Much of this optimism may be the result of various infrastructure programs currently being developed,” Manpower’s country manager for Costa Rica Ana Gabriela Chaverri said.

Employers from the transport and telecommunications sector showed the second most positive outlook at 17 percent, while those from manufacturing and commerce followed with 11 percent each.

The lowest hiring expectations were among employers from the agriculture, fisheries and mining sector, as only 9 percent expect to hire staff in the next three months. On Monday, representatives of the agriculture sector asked the Labor Ministry’s National Wages Council to suspend all wage increases for the next six months citing “the tragic situation” they are currently facing.

The Manpower study also found that the best job opportunities likely will be in the province of Heredia, with a net employment expectation of 22 percent, followed by Cartago with 20 percent, while Guanacaste and Alajuela showed the lowest expectations at 7 and 6 percent, respectively.

Heredia has maintained the strongest hiring expectations for nearly four years, while figures for Cartago are the highest for that province in the last five years.

Manpower’s survey was conducted among 620 companies across the country’s seven provinces.