No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsCosta RicaUnemployment in Costa Rica falls slightly; more women join workforce

Unemployment in Costa Rica falls slightly; more women join workforce

Unemployment in Costa Rica fell to 11.3% in the first trimester of 2019, according to data released last week by the National Statistics and Census Institute (INEC).

The figure is slightly improved from the 12% unemployment rate reported at the end of 2018 and equals the 11.3% unemployment rate from the first trimester of last year.

“Although the national unemployed population increased significantly, the unemployment rate at the national level remained unchanged, since it was compensated by the increase in the participation of the workforce,” reads the INEC report.

President Carlos Alvarado said last week in a speech to the Legislative Assembly that addressing unemployment remains one of Costa Rica and his administration’s greatest challenges.

According to INEC, Costa Rica’s workforce has reached 2.45 million people, an increase of 214,000 people since the first trimester of 2018. That includes 159,000 more working women compared to the same period last year.

The workforce is comprised of 1.47 million men and 983,000 women, INEC says.

Despite the improved unemployment rate, INEC reports Costa Rica registered a 1.4% increase in underemployment, or people without full-time jobs, over the past year.

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Poás Volcano Park Reopening to Tourists With Safety Measures

The Poás Volcano National Park will reopen its doors to tourism starting July 30, after  scientific entities reported a decrease in volcanic activity. This was...

Panama Farmer Receives Land Title After 60-Year Wait at Age 109

A 109-year-old Panamanian farmer has received the land title for the property where he lives and works—six decades after first requesting it from the...

Costa Rica’s PPSO Backs Laura Fernández to Continue Rodrigo Chaves’s Agenda

Former Minister of Economy Francisco Gamboa and attorney Douglas Soto will join Laura Fernández for the 2026 elections, representing the Sovereign People’s Party (PPSO),...

UN Denounces Guatemala Over ‘Inhuman’ Indigenous Evictions

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, called on the Guatemalan government on Friday to halt the “inhuman”...

Why I Choose Real Life in Costa Rica Over the AI Hype

When it comes to AI, call me OG. Old school. I sometimes wish I could go back to a time before it existed. Artificial...

El Salvador Retries Environmentalists Over 1989 Wartime Killing

A new trial against five Salvadoran environmentalists, accused of murdering a woman in 1989 during the civil war, will take place on Tuesday, announced...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica