There isn´t adequate availability of skilled labor to build, manage and administrate the ambitious projects of the state’s infrastructure plan.

The construction of the first Metro line involves 3,000 jobs, the redevelopment of the Canal another 6,000 and other infrastructure projects raise the total to 34,000 direct jobs which will be created by 2011.

According to Minerva Betancourt’s article in Prensa.com, “According to analysts and experts in labor market, the number of people trained is not growing on par with the projects, and it is likely that by 2013 the demand will exceed the offer. The director of Insight Economy, Jovany Morales, estimated that starting next year there will be a “bottleneck” and that 2014 will be a critical year. ”

The problem is that the labor which is needed needs to be qualified. The Panamanian government is beginning to show signs of willingness to import from abroad.