The Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (Cciap), in a simple analysis of the finances of the State, the reality reflects that the income is not enough to cover the expenses, therefore, the debt is resorted to; that is to say, the blanket does not cover our feet and we do not have how to wrap ourselves whole.
Currently, there are 59,000 fewer private employees and 247,000 more informal employees than in 2012. While the state payroll is made up of approximately 257,000 civil servants; that is, 5 thousand more than in 2021, and the Digital Voucher is received by more than 330 thousand people.
If we take into account that the formal worker is the one who contributes to the health and pension system of the Social Security Fund (CSS) and through his taxes contributes to the stability of the State’s finances that must be translated into works for the good of all the citizens; while, the people employed in an informal way do not contribute in the same way, but they do make use of State assets creating a significant imbalance in the national economy; The numbers presented above depict a complicated labor situation that has a direct impact on the country’s situation.
The business association insists that the national urgency must be the creation of jobs in the private sector and the promotion of formal entrepreneurship through an adequate framework for business development, accompanied by curricula focused on preparing skilled labor. to meet the needs of the labor market; so that people have the ability to access positions that allow their growth and professional development, and at the same time improve their living conditions and that of their families.
“If 7 out of 10 Panamanians work for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, it is necessary that we resume actions that allow strengthening the development of these companies, such as plans that facilitate access to credit, and development of programs that promote the hiring of personnel part-time, among others,” said the president of the union, Marcela Galindo.
In his Sunday column “La Cámara Opina”, Galindo expressed that the private sector is called to be the country’s great employer, generating a virtuous circle in the employer-collaborator relationship: encouraging the strengthening of companies, promoting private investment, coupled with to the constant formation of human capital, would be the path that leads us to recover the confidence of local and foreign investors, who see Panama as a safe port for their capital, thus achieving the generation of more decent jobs, which promote development of individuals and therefore of society as a whole, achieving better days for our country.
“It is evident that the National Government has to reassess and take measures that do not put more pressure on finances, that avoid deepening uncertainty and rebuild confidence, a key piece to encourage investment and job creation, supporting the creation of opportunities for through public policies that translate into a better quality of life,” he remarked.
They believe that Panamanians want to build better days for themselves through honest, decent and well-paid work, which will also make them active players in building the country in which we all want to live. This is achieved by promoting private investment to provide these jobs. It is in this direction that the cannons must be directed.
