(source http://www.journalcr.com/)
(C.A. News) — From being a province traditionally dedicated to agriculture and livestock production, Guanacaste has been transformed in a broad epicenter of job options thanks to the tourism and real estate boom it now experiences.
The recent arrival of tourists and investors has generated jobs not only in the tourism and real estate fields, but also in areas such as services, transportation and commerce. Construction, hotels and real estate activities are, however, the ones demanding the most workers.
This boom has meant a sustained increase in employment opportunities for people of the province and also for professionals from San Jose’s metropolitan area, who migrate to Guanacaste attracted by the many and diverse jobs available.
According to data by the Homes and Multiple Purposes Census carried out by the National Statistics Institute, the working population in the Chorotega Region went up from 110,971 in 2002 to 130,529 in 2006, which shows how dynamic the job market has been in the area.
As of July 2006, there were 10,384 people in the Chorotega Region working in construction and 12,457 in the hotel industry. Real estate activities employed another 4,438 Guanacastecans.
Opportunities in many fields
Chances of finding employment in Guanacaste are now high and diverse, according to business people and representatives of the tourism and real estate sectors.
Mauricio Cespedes, director of the Guanacaste Chamber of Tourism (CATURGUA), said all trades and skills are sought after in the province now, since not only firms dedicated to tourism need qualified personnel, but also those that offer services related to this industry, such as travel agencies and transportation companies.
A similar opinion is that of Ignacio Pignataro, sales manager of the Tamarindo Heights project, who said the opening of shopping centers and real estate developments will generate better-paid jobs in the future.
“Guanacaste has depended on agriculture and livestock during a long time,” Pignataro said. “However, real estate developments and the opening of new shopping and business centers, office complexes and others, are beginning to create job opportunities that are better paid and have more growth possibilities.”
Tamarindo Heights, for example, employs 420 people, among them construction workers, sales personnel, administrators and accountants. Opening of the Garden Boutique Plaza shopping center, which belongs to the project, will soon provide even more jobs.
Randall Murillo, executive director of the Costa Rican Chamber of Construction, confirmed that demand in Guanacaste is high.
“There is a high demand in construction, so much so that we can’t find enough workers right now. We are needing engineering professionals, contractors and field workers,” Murillo pointed out.
Those interviewed agreed that the areas of services and commerce and the ones experiencing the largest growth.
An example is the expansion of renowned attorney firms to Guanacaste, as well as the opening of private banks in the province and the increasing demand for financial, accounting and administrative services. Likewise, the real estate industry has created openings for people experienced in sales to work as agents.
“The tourism industry generates employment in areas related or linked to its development, such as education, commerce, services and sectors such as construction, engineering and similar trades,” said Patricia Sanchez, director of Peninsula Papagayo Human Development.
This project, for instance, has 435 collaborators who work in different tourism, services and development occupations.
The opening of well-known supermarket, restaurant, pharmacy, gas station, car rental and shopping/office center chains is also an indication that employment in services and commerce is more abundant day by day. The Automercado supermarket chain will open new stores in Tamarindo and Playas del Coco by the end of the year, in alliance with the Tamarindo Heights and Pacifico real estate projects.
Murillo added that in terms of construction, every direct job generates two indirect positions in areas such as plumbing, electricity, gardening, transportation, and many more.
What do businesses need?
Although each productive sector and each company requires personnel with different characteristics, sources agree that knowledge of English is the main requirement of area employers.
“Knowing English is almost a basic requirement; it’s no longer an added value. Now the companies need people who also speak German, Italian and French, and many are betting on Mandarin Chinese anticipating the future,” said Cespedes, who added that knowledge of computer software is another key skill.
Companies such as Tamarindo Heights and Peninsula Papagayo indicated they also seek people with good service skills, strong work ethics and a sense of commitment.
“Attitude and the desire to improve, combined with an adequate academic background, are what we are looking for,” Pignataro explained. “To be successful in such a competitive market is increasingly difficult for those who don’t have the right attitude to carry out this kind of work.”
Murillo said that in the construction business, companies seek engineers who have some kind of specialized training. But he insisted that there are still gaps in the training of laborers and technicians in areas such as electricity and machinery, for example.
The growing competitiveness in the tourism and real estate industry have already created challenges, since finding enough bilingual workers in Guanacaste is some times complicated. Additionally, employers also have to deal with issues such as finding accommodations or providing transportation to workers who come from other areas.
Who works in Guanacaste?
Experts agree that shortcomings in academic training and the lack of experience of the locals in management positions are the reasons behind the migration of many professionals from San Jose to Guanacaste. Companies prefer to have qualified and experienced personnel, even if they have to bring them from other parts of the country or from overseas and have to invest more in salaries and operational costs.
For instance, 80 percent of the workforce at Tamarindo Heights comes from other provinces or countries. However, the developers hope that the inauguration of the project’s shopping center will mean more jobs for people from the area.
The opposite happens in the case of Peninsula Papagayo, where 87 percent of workers are Costa Ricans and 13 percent foreigners. Of that 87 percent, 76 percent are from Guanacaste, 18 percent from San Jose and 6 percent from the rest of the country.
“The migration of professionals from urban areas to Guanacaste happens mostly in positions that can’t still be filled by local people because of training or experience, and that’s why it’s so important to promote training among Guanacastecans,” explained Sanchez, who added that Peninsula Papagayo works with national institutions to promote educational programs and employment fairs so that Guanacaste can take advantage of the opportunities brought about by tourism.
Institutions that work with Peninsula Papagayo include the University of Costa Rica (UCR), the National University (UNA), the National Learning Institute (INA), the Federation of Guanacaste Municipalities, CATURGUA and the Costa Rican Association of Tourism Professionals (ACOPROT).
“Public and public universities, INA and other learning institutions became aware of the great need and opportunity in training competent workers, and have made strides to meet such needs,” Sanchez concluded.
Posted by Roger Vlasos
Broker/Owner
Century21 At the Beach
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste
Website: www.century21incostarica.com
Website: www.northpacificproperties.com
Email: roger@century21incostarica.com
