The employment situation in Latin America and the Caribbean: Crisis in the labour markets and countercyclical responses

As predicted in the first bulletin, produced jointly by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), the impact of the economic crisis continued to be felt in Latin America and the Caribbean during the second quarter of 2009. Regional exports of goods and services contracted in response to sluggish demand on international markets, while remittances and foreign direct investment flows continued to fall, credit lost its buoyancy and the total wage bill diminished, owing mainly to job losses. As a result, the growth forecasts of many countries had to be adjusted downwards. Since the end of 2008, the countries of the region had started to implement countercyclical policies —albeit with significant differences— in an effort to use public spending to counter flagging investment and consumer-spending levels and boost aggregate demand. In this second bulletin, ECLAC and ILO show how the impact of the crisis has deepened in labour markets in the region in the first half of the year and examine existing options and the outcome of public-infrastructure and emergency employment programmes designed to mitigate the impact of the crisis on the labour market. The unemployment rate has risen in practically all countries compared with the previous year and this situation worsened further in the second quarter, when urban unemployment exceeded the rate of the corresponding period in 2008 by 1 percentage point (to stand at 8.5%, up from 7.5%), while in the first quarter, the variation was 0.6 of a percentage point. Labour indicators also point to an increase in informality, a decline in employment with social protection and a decrease in full-time employment. Labour-market trends observed in the first half-year, together with the forecast for a 1.9% decline in regional GDP in 2009, suggest that the average annual rate of urban unemployment in the region will be close to 8.5%. This forecast is slightly less pessimistic than the estimate given in the first bulletin; this is attributable to the fall in the participation rate in the first half-year to levels that are expected to remain low for the rest of the year. Without this reduction in the labour supply, due largely to the “discouragement effect”, the annual average urban unemployment rate would stand at between 8.8% and 8.9%. Thus, the open urban unemployment figure would increase by 2.5 million and if the “discouraged job-seekers” are included, then the number of additional persons not finding a niche in the urban labour market would climb to 3.2 million. In the region, as in the rest of the world, there are signs that the crisis may have reached bottom in the middle of the year. In many countries, production levels have ceased their decline and there are indications of an incipient recovery leading to cautious optimism that there may be a moderate upturn in labour markets in the fourth quarter. The pace of recovery will vary from one country to the next and is expected to be gradual at best. Even with the return to a growth path, there should be no illusion that the labour problems will immediately disappear. First, the recovery in employment is expected to lag behind the upturn in economic activity. Second, since economic growth is likely to remain moderate in the short term and well below the rates recorded between late 2003 and mid-2008, demand for labour and consequently the generation of good-quality jobs will continue to be weak. Thus, countries should not relax their efforts to defend and create decent jobs, but rather should take steps to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of available instruments. In this way, the region will be in a better position not only to confront the challenges of economic recovery, but also to strengthen the foundations for social inclusion and for advancing under more favourable conditions towards fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals.

Panorama Económico y Social de la Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños 2014

Prólogo de Alicia Bárcena

Economic and Social Panorama of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States 2014

This issue of the Economic and Social Panorama of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States is a contribution by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to the third Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), to be held in San José in January 2015. This document is based on excerpts from some of the annual flagships published by the Commission in 2014: Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2013 (LC/G.2582-P); Demographic Observatory 2013 (LC/G.2615-P); Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean 2014 (LC/G.2619-P); Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2014 (LC/G.2632-P); Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean 2013 (LC/G.2615-P); Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Economy 2014 (LG/G.2625-P) “Social Panorama Social of Latin America 2014. Briefing Paper”; as well as the Gender Equality Observatory of Latin America and the Caribbean. Annual Report 2013-2014 (LC/G.2626).

Incentivos públicos de nueva generación para la atracción de inversión extranjera directa (IED) en Centroamérica

Incluye Bibliografía

Evolución y composición de los flujos de inversión extranjera en América del Sur bajo la óptica de las principales empresas inversionistas

El objetivo es identificar el posicionamiento de Brasil como receptor de inversion y como inversionista dentro de America del Sur. Se hace un examen de la inversion extranjera directa en esta subregion, bajo la optica de la presencia y actuacion internacional de las grandes empresas presentes en la zona - transnacionales y empresas locales con actuacion regional.

Revista de la CEPAL no.60

La evolución de las ideas y las políticas para el desarrollo / Gert Rosenthal. -- Políticas macroeconómicas para el crecimiento / Ricardo Ffrench-Davis. -- Flujos de capitales: lecciones a partir de la experiencia chilena / Eduardo Aninat, Christian Larraín. -- La transformación del desarrollo industrial de América Latina / José Miguel Benavente, Gustavo Crespi, Jorge Katz, Giovanni Stampo. -- Las reformas de las pensiones en América Latina y la posición de los organismos internacionales / Carmelo Mesa-Lago. -- Aportes de la antropología aplicada al desarrollo campesino / John Durston. -- Prospección de la biodiversidad: potencialidades para los países en desarrollo / Julie M. Feinsilver. -- La inversión extranjera y el desarrollo competitivo en América Latina y el Caribe / Alejandro C. Vera-Vassallo. -- La crisis del peso mexicano / Stephany Griffith-Jones.

CEPAL Review no.60

Development thinking and policies: the way ahead / Gert Rosenthal. -- Macroeconomic policies for growth / Ricardo Ffrench-Davis. -- Capital flows: lessons from the Chilean experience / Eduardo Aninat, Christian Lorrain. -- Changes In the industrial development of Latin America / José Miguel Benavente, Gustavo Crespi, Jorge Katz, Giovanni Stumpo. -- Pension system reforms in Latin America: the position of the International organizations / Carmelo Mesa-Lago. -- The contributions of applied anthropology to peasant development / John Durston. -- Biodiversity prospecting: a new panacea for development? / Julie M. Feinsilver. -- Foreign Investment and competitive development In Latin America and the Caribbean / Alejandro C. Vera-Vassallo. -- The Mexican peso crisis / Stephany Grijfìth-Jones.

Revista de la CEPAL no.25

La economía latinoamericana durante 1984: un balance preliminar / Enrique V. Iglesias. -- Las empresas transnacionales y el comercio internacional de América Latina / Eugenio Lahera. -- El papel subsidiario de la inversión externa directa en la industrialización: el sector manufacturero colombiano / Michael Mortimore. -- Políticas de estabilización y ajuste en el Cono Sur, 1974-1983 / Joseph Ramos. -- Desarrollo rural y programación urbana de alimentos / Manuel Figueroa L. -- Sociedades dependientes y crisis en América Latina: los desafíos de la transformación político-social / Germán W. Rama y Enzo Faletto. -- Cultura, discurso (autoexpresióri) y desarrollo social en el Caribe / Jean Casimir. -- Aspectos legales de la deuda pública latinoamericana: la relación con los bancos comerciales / Gonzalo Biggs.

CEPAL Review no.25

The Latin American economy during 1984: a preliminary overview / Enrique V. Iglesias / The transnational corporations and Latin America’s international trade / Eugenio Lahera. -- The subsidiary role of direct foreign investment in industrialization: the Colombian manufacturing sector / Michael Mortimore. -- Stabilization and adjustment policies in the southern cone, 1974-1983 / Joseph Ramos. -- Rural development and urban food programming / Manuel Figueroa L. -- Dependent societies and crisis in Latin America: the challenges of social and political transformation / Germán W. Rama and Enzo Faletto. -- Culture, discourse (self-expression) and social development in the Caribbean / Jean Casimir. -- Legal aspects of the Latin American public debt: relations with the commercial banks / Gonzalo Biggs.

O Investimento Estrangeiro Direto na América Latina e Caribe 2015. Documento informativo

Em edições anteriores deste relatório, o ano que figurava no título correspondia àquele para o qual se apresentavam os dados. A partir de agora, e para alinhar-se com os outros relatórios periódicos da CEPAL, o relatório levará no título o ano em que se publica. Isto significa que não existe a edição 2014 desta publicação.

La Inversión Extranjera Directa en América Latina y el Caribe 2015

En ediciones anteriores de este informe, el año que figuraba en el título correspondía a aquel para el que se presentaban los datos. A partir de ahora, y para alinearse con el resto de los informes periódicos de la CEPAL, el informe llevará en el título el año en el que se publica. Esto significa que no existe la edición 2014 de esta publicación.

An assessment of fiscal and regulatory barriers to deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in Curaçao

The current energy systems within Curaçao depend primarily on high cost, imported fossil fuels, and typically constitute power sectors that are characterized by small, inefficient generation plants which result in high energy prices. As a consequence of its dependence on external fuel supplies, Curaçao is extremely vulnerable to international oil price shocks, which can impact on economic planning and foreign direct investment within their industrial sectors. The ability of the successive governments to source capital for economic stimulation and social investment is therefore significantly challenging. Additionally, there is over-dependence on two of the most climate-sensitive economic sectors, namely the tourism and fisheries sectors, but the vulnerabilities of the country to the effects of climate change make adaptation difficult and costly. It is within this context that this report focuses on identification of the fiscal and regulatory barriers to implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in Curaçao with a view of making recommendations for removal of these barriers. Consultations with key Government officials, the private sector as well as civil society were conducted to obtain information and data on the energy sector in the country. Desktop research was also conducted to supplement the information gathered from the consultations. The major result of the assessment is that Curaçao is at an early stage in the definition of its energy sector. Despite some infrastructural legacies of the pre-independence era, as well as a number of recent developments including the modernization and expansion of its windfarms and completion of a modern Electricity Policy, there are still a number of important institutional and policy gaps within the energy sector in Curaçao. The most significant deficiency is the absence of a ministry or Government agency with portfolio responsibility for the energy sector as a whole; this has: limited the degree to which the activities of energy sector stakeholders are coordinated and retarded the development and implementation of a comprehensive national energy policy. The absence of an energy policy, which provides the framework for energy planning, increases investor risk. Also, the lack of political continuity that has emanated from the frequent changes in Government administrations is a concern among stakeholders and has served to reduce investor confidence in particular, and market confidence in general.

Informe de la reunión de expertos sobre inversión extranjera directa centroamericana (México, D.F., 7 de abril de 2015)

La reunión de expertos sobre inversión extranjera directa (lED) centroamericana se enmarcó en una solicitud de cooperación técnica del Ministerio de Comercio Exterior de Costa Rica (COMEX) a la Sede Subregional de la CEPAL en México. El objeto de esta cooperación técnica fue profundizar en el análisis de la lED realizada por empresas de capital costarricense, examinando sus principales estrategias y los efectos en términos de empleo, competitividad e innovación tecnológica.

La inversión colombiana en Centroamérica

Este documento tiene como objetivo principal analizar las estrategias empresariales que han favorecido el aumento de la inversión extranjera directa (IED) colombiana en los países centroamericanos. Provee un marco teórico para el estudio de los determinantes de la IED, hace una revisión de su dinámica y brinda un marco conceptual que permite identificar, clasificar y analizar los flujos de inversión de Colombia a cada uno de los países centroamericanos.