Labor issues are a key challenge in Latin America. What countries are best and worst when it comes to labor environment?
BY CHRONICLE STAFF
Labor is the key challenge facing small and medium-sized companies in Latin America, according to a new survey among 810 executives in the region. The survey, Latin America Business Monitor, was done by TNS Gallup Argentina on behalf of US-based logistics giant UPS.
So, what countries in Latin America have the best labor environment for local and foreign companies?
The Latin Labor Index from Latin Business Chronicle looks at 18 factors that determine overall labor conditions in 18 countries in Latin America.
The key factors include:
Fixed term contract flexibility
Minimum wage
Payments and restrictions for night and holiday work
Paid annual leave
Regulations and payments for redundancy
Flexibility of wage determination
Cooperation in labor-employer relations
Brain drain
We also included education (mean and expected years of schooling) and a health factor such as life expectancy at birth.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
An attractive labor environment is one key factor for multinationals evaluating setting up operations or expanding existing ones. However, it also impacts ...
Keywords: Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela
THE INDEX
Latin Labor Index 2010
The Data Behind the Index