El Salvador’s extensive education and training opportunities have helped develop quality workers, technicians and professionals in all of the different employment sectors. Salvadoran labor is abundant and highly trainable. The work ethic among Salvadoran workforce is often a determining factor in new investor’s decisions to establish operations in El Salvador.
Learning an occupation, developing a specialization, participating in ongoing training, and strengthening their natural proactive attitude, are all part of the development skills that Salvadorans acquire in the work place. INSAFORP, the national institution for professional training, incorporates national and private efforts to ensure that the Salvadoran workforce remains a high quality asset within the region and within Latin America.
“The Salvadoran workforce has been fantastic in many ways. We have found educated and creative people with a great capacity to learn and work hard. At every level, employees demonstrate their abilities and desire to work. We have won awards not only for production and cost management, but for creativeness and innovation,” says Mark Rampolla, President of International Paper, established in El Salvador since 1999.
General Indicators
The economically active population (EAP), for the year 2002 was recorded at 2,707,272 people, of which 63% were located in urban areas and 37% were located in rural areas. Out of the total EAP, 59.7% are men and 40.3% are women. This reflects the lower activity level of females in the labor market; yet in recent years a substantial increase in their participation has been observed.
The total number of occupied individuals is 2,520,060. Their distribution by type of employment is 29% in the commerce sector, 20% in the service sector, and 18% in the manufacturing sector; the rest engage in the other sectors of the economy.
Source: Encuesta Hogares de Propositos Multiples 2003