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COSTA RICA |
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Unemployment Rate To Drop Says Costa Rica's
Labour Minister
The Ministro de Trabajo y Seguridad Social,
Álvaro González, is confident that the
unemployment rate will drop in the coming
months with the start of the holiday
shopping season.
Labour minister González noted that the
unemployment rate for this year went up 3
percentage points, but added that Costa Rica
one of the lowest unemployment rate in Latin
America, topped only by Uruguay and Panama.
The minister said that the labour market is
looking good for the months ahead, as new
jobs are being created in sectors like
retail and the resumption of agricultural
activity in the country.
According to the figures of the Instituto
Nacional de Estadísticas y Censos (INEC) -
National Statistics and Census Institute -
the unemployment rate went up 4.8% in 2008
and 7.8% this year, the highest in the last
20 years.
According to the INEC, there are 4.318.115
people in country as of July this year, of
which 2.121.451 were employed. The INEC
survey in July 2009 shows that 64.039 more
people were unemployed this year than last.
The highest rate of unemployment, according
to the INEC, is in those between 18 and 24
years of age.
In 1982 Costa Rica recorded its highest
unemployment rate of 9.4%, falling to 7.9 in
1984. This year it was the first time since
that it almost reached the 1984 level.
According to the United Nation’s
International Labor Organization, women in
Costa Rica continue to be at a disadvantage
in the job market making up for larger
unemployment than men. And even though women
has an overall higher level of education
than men, the average salary paid to women
is lower.
That is confirmed by the INEC's survey where
the unemployment rate for women rose from
6.2% to 9.9%, while that for men went from
4.2% to 6.6%.
Earlier this week the Banco Central de Costa
Rica (BCCR) - Central Bank - said the Costa
Rican economy is recuperating from the
economic crisis, however, unemployment
levels is still a concern.
The highest level of unemployment was
recorded in Chorotega, Guanacaste, with a
rate of 10.1% |
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