What are the job prospects of young people in Costa Rica and the ORIT region?
They are very bad; in fact there is a huge level of youth unemployment. Jobs are insecure and provide no long-term prospects. In most cases young people do not receive social security benefits. Another feature is the growing number of young people pushed into the informal economy. Like other Latin American countries, Costa Rica has signed a free trade agreement with the United States. Certain companies affected by these agreements demand total availability and flexibility from their employees. To put things simply, given the countries’ ardent pursuit of jobs at any price these agreements are opening the door to precarious jobs. Chances to rise through the ranks within the same company are few and far between. In the export processing zones (EPZs), for instance, it is virtually impossible to get promotion or higher wages. In factories owned by multinationals young people move aimlessly between jobs for which little experience is required. That is exactly the opposite of what young peopl
