Ever wonder why Panama cannot continue its high rate of growth after all the spending on the canal ran out. 35% of companies in Panama reported having difficulties filling job positions, mainly intermediate positions with a high level of training required.
After our trip to Santiago Chile, I am really concerned for Panama if things do not change. I met three skilled workers, all of whom came there from Venezuela. They all had good employment, a car, an apartment, went out nights with friends and still saved money to send back to Venezuela. One had been in Panama for 4 years waiting for a work permit and gave up!!
Why cannot Panama open it’s doors to skilled labor that wants to come here? Why cannot Panama train people for the work force? These are serious questions that demand serious answers!!
According to the Talent Shortage Survey 2018, prepared by ManpowerGroup, the most difficult positions to cover are technicians, sales representatives, office support staff, accountants and financiers, heavy equipment drivers, computer support, engineers, chemists, customer service, lawyers, project managers, researchers, electricians, mechanics and welders.
Alberto Alesi, Regional Director for the Caribbean and Central America at ManpowerGroup explained to Laestrella.com.pa that “ …‘Due to automation, the skills most valued by companies are agility, flexibility and innovative thinking. To be successful today, the ideal is to have a mixture of digital knowledge and human strengths.”
The article adds that ” …The majority of vacancies where demand is growing include intermediate positions that require training. 71% of employers surveyed in the country are investing in learning platforms to develop talent in their companies, according to the firm, while 42% are also changing their current work models, including flexible work offers.”
See global statistics.
If they would actually value and pay better salaries maybe they would get skilled workers willing to work.
there are plenty of skilled educated people here just few can afford to live off of $800 to 1000 a month!
Many things like it is illegal for a foreigner to have a job like and engineer in Panama that profession is restricted to only some one who is Panamanian Yet Panama does not have any trained engineers or any qualified teachers so by law the problem is guaranteed to continue, and Panama always hires outside firms to do any engineering project and 100% of the money leaves Panama rather then allowing qualified people to come live in Panama who would earn money here and spend it here. This is one of the professions that if a person is qualified they should be given permanent residency and a work permit as soon as the qualifications are verified. Of course since there are no qualified people to run the immigration department they cannot even implement that processes. It is Also illegal to have qualified Accountants or Agricultural people, or chemists among 26 other professions in Panama. So stupidity is required by law for anyone wanting to live and work in Panama. Truly a politically designed system which it is well know that internationally stupidity is a requirement for entering politics on almost any level.
It would help attract skilled foreign workers if English was an official language in Panama. That helped Hong Kong and Singapore become leading economic powers.