Costa Rica Central Bank Chief Sees No Broad Labour Market Hit From Layoffs
Costa Rica central bank chief Róger Madrigal says 2026 multinational layoffs are not causing a broad labour-market slide, though 1,600 free-zone jobs went. The post Costa Rica Central Bank Chief Sees No Broad Labour Market Hit From Layoffs appeared first on The Rio Times .
Central Bank of Costa Rica chief Róger Madrigal stated on October 4 that this year's multinational layoffs in the country are not yet causing a broad deterioration of the labor market, despite roughly 1,600 jobs lost in free-trade zones since January. He acknowledged the risk but pointed out that unemployment remains at 6.7% and the share of adults in work has kept rising.
Companies are leaving and arriving, and while long-term decisions could be influenced by tariff decisions, it is not there yet. The job losses are concentrated in manufacturing and financial services, while commerce and education added jobs. The net effect on the economy is a growth of 22,291 jobs, with the labor force expanding faster than job losses.
The fiscal impact of the layoffs runs through tax collection, as companies with fewer employees earn less and laid-off households spend less, which eventually affects VAT receipts. Foreign investment is still flowing into the country, with inflows rising in the first half of 2026.
Written by urgent.news from The Rio Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
