The lack of a more effective education in the country is the main problem faced by Panamanian businessmen to find skilled labor.
The situation is questioned by market traders and scholars, who say that the education system lost contact with the labor situation in the country.
Experts say the country's economy has developed very good shape, but has fallen behind education.
Phenomenon that has meant that for the next nine years, the labor market needs around 89,000 technical, logistical issues only as assured the former president of the National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP), Elisa Suarez.
Suarez said that a study of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the CONEP emphasized that in Panama only 1.3% of students coming out of universities and colleges are technical, reflecting the country is not prepared to meet demand .
He also stressed that according to the test applied International Student Assessment, 48% of young people entering the labor market are unable to understand a basic text and 62% can not perform simple calculations.
A situation that worries and invites educational authorities to seek ways to better train Panamanians well prepared to enter the labor market.
Falta de coordinación
According to René Quevedo, employment consultant, the great problem that Panama is poor coordination between education authorities and private enterprise, creating serious distortions between labor demand and academic offerings.
Quevedo noted that the average recruitment of university graduates increased from 34.661 per year (2009 to 2012) to 13,390 (2012-2015), ie a reduction of 62%.
A "Despite the decline of hiring college graduates, the number of graduates in Panamanian universities rose from 22,786 in the year 2012 to 30.716 in 2014, a 35% increase in 2 years.
The expert added that the Panamanian education system will only have the ability to form 59% of technical professionals who require our country to meet the labor market between 2015 and 2020.
According to a report of the High Commission for Employment, it is estimated that in Panama the work generated by the market between 2015 and 2020, 96% will be for technical areas, the formation of which exceeds the capacity of the current educational system.
In addition, states that these next jobs will be 53% logistics, construction 43%, 6%, and 5% tourism agriculture.
But the National Competitiveness Center (CNC) ensures that according to a survey young people and their families are not interested just in technical careers are what the market is requiring.
The shortcomings of the education system, according to experts, is divorced from the reality of the labor market, although given the high investment of Panamanians.
Parents invest in private education around $ 3,000 per year, taking into account the $ 450 million reported by the National Association of Private Educational Centers (Uncep), detailing that are about 150 thousand students who are part of the private system.
The State, according to the Comptroller General of the Republic, invests about $ 1,600 in each of the 800,000 students in the public system.
Ricardo Sotelo, president of the Union of Industrialists of Panama (SIP), said that entrepreneurs still aspire to have well-trained workers.
Cifras
89
- mil técnicos requerirá nuestro país para suplir la demanda del sector logístico.
62%
- bajó la contratación de profesionales universitarios en los últimos tres años.
