From AM Costa Rica today:
Quote:
Foreigners seeking to work here in for a shock
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Would-be expats frequently contact those already in Costa Rica seeking information on gaining employment here.
The biggest hurdles are ways foreigners can become legal residents with the right to work. That is a difficult accomplishment when so many Costa Ricans are seeking the same jobs. Work permits for foreigners usually are granted only for specialized jobs that Costa Ricans cannot perform.
Another hurdle is salary. Would-be expats frequently are astonished at the salaries paid here. A union truck driver from the United States or Canada is shocked when he finds out the typical salary for that type of job in Costa Rica is less than $10 a day.
Costa Rica closely controls salaries. While countries to the north have minimum wages, Costa Rica has a separate minimum wage for nearly every type of job. And the numbers keep changing, thanks to a continual devaluation of the colon.
Every six months the government negotiates salary increases with various employee unions. If the negotiations fail, as they did in November, the president may issue a decree setting the new salaries in conjunction with the Consejo Nacional de Salarios.
Under the latest decree that covers the first half of 2005, blue collar workers in agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and a host of other areas must earn from 3,903 to 5,377 colons daily, depending on qualifications. That’s from $8.45 to $11.64. And that’s for a day.
Monthly, the legal minimums range from 117,014 colons a month for someone like a janitor, a messenger or an elevator operator to 266,202 colons for a university master’s degree holder. That’s from $253 to $576 at the current exchange rate of about 462 colons to the U.S. dollar.
Some other salaries:
Domestic servant:
67,648 colons a month ($146) plus food.
University bachelor degree holder: 221,829 ($480).
Bartender:
4,475 colons a day ($9.69).
Bus driver:
4,475 colons a day ($9.69).
Tourist guide:
4,475 colons a day ($9.69).
Machine operator:
4,475 colons a day ($9.69).
Electrician or carpenter:
4,475 colons a day ($9.69).
Private accountant:
195,576 colons a month ($423).
Architectural draftsman:
136,409 colons ($295) a month.
Secretary:
136,409 colons ($295) a month.
General office worker:
126,973 colons a month ($275).
Gardener:
4,475 colons a day ($9.69)
The highest paid job title on the list is graduate journalist, which pays 327,856 colons a month or $710.
A bare-bones list of minimum salaries usually is available at news outlets in the metropolitan area and legal bookstores. However, the Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social has many more job classifications and specific minimum salaries in its files.
Most professionals work for salaries established by their colegios or trade organizations. For example, lawyers are supposed to get 10 percent of the value of any contract they prepare.
Most companies try to pay around the legal minimum, although more enlightened ones reward good employees. Although the salaries seem low by North American standards, they are good for Latin America, and employees here have the benefit of free medical care, pensions and other benefits not fully reflected in the paycheck.
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Would-be expats frequently contact those already in Costa Rica seeking information on gaining employment here.
The biggest hurdles are ways foreigners can become legal residents with the right to work. That is a difficult accomplishment when so many Costa Ricans are seeking the same jobs. Work permits for foreigners usually are granted only for specialized jobs that Costa Ricans cannot perform.
Another hurdle is salary. Would-be expats frequently are astonished at the salaries paid here. A union truck driver from the United States or Canada is shocked when he finds out the typical salary for that type of job in Costa Rica is less than $10 a day.
Costa Rica closely controls salaries. While countries to the north have minimum wages, Costa Rica has a separate minimum wage for nearly every type of job. And the numbers keep changing, thanks to a continual devaluation of the colon.
Every six months the government negotiates salary increases with various employee unions. If the negotiations fail, as they did in November, the president may issue a decree setting the new salaries in conjunction with the Consejo Nacional de Salarios.
Under the latest decree that covers the first half of 2005, blue collar workers in agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and a host of other areas must earn from 3,903 to 5,377 colons daily, depending on qualifications. That’s from $8.45 to $11.64. And that’s for a day.
Monthly, the legal minimums range from 117,014 colons a month for someone like a janitor, a messenger or an elevator operator to 266,202 colons for a university master’s degree holder. That’s from $253 to $576 at the current exchange rate of about 462 colons to the U.S. dollar.
Some other salaries:
Domestic servant:
67,648 colons a month ($146) plus food.
University bachelor degree holder: 221,829 ($480).
Bartender:
4,475 colons a day ($9.69).
Bus driver:
4,475 colons a day ($9.69).
Tourist guide:
4,475 colons a day ($9.69).
Machine operator:
4,475 colons a day ($9.69).
Electrician or carpenter:
4,475 colons a day ($9.69).
Private accountant:
195,576 colons a month ($423).
Architectural draftsman:
136,409 colons ($295) a month.
Secretary:
136,409 colons ($295) a month.
General office worker:
126,973 colons a month ($275).
Gardener:
4,475 colons a day ($9.69)
The highest paid job title on the list is graduate journalist, which pays 327,856 colons a month or $710.
A bare-bones list of minimum salaries usually is available at news outlets in the metropolitan area and legal bookstores. However, the Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social has many more job classifications and specific minimum salaries in its files.
Most professionals work for salaries established by their colegios or trade organizations. For example, lawyers are supposed to get 10 percent of the value of any contract they prepare.
Most companies try to pay around the legal minimum, although more enlightened ones reward good employees. Although the salaries seem low by North American standards, they are good for Latin America, and employees here have the benefit of free medical care, pensions and other benefits not fully reflected in the paycheck.
Given even a fea gorda chica is going to score a few hits a week at the BM do you really think they can not survive without you sending them money
