In March 2023, 23 political parties, which will participate in the presidential elections on June 25, received from the Guatemalan Association of Exporters -AGEXPORT- the proposal: More Exports, More Employment. This proposal based on the Export Model, as a generator of massive jobs, contemplates 5 strategic bets to accelerate the growth of exports and generate 1.7 million new formal jobs in 4 years.
The second bet is based on human capital and seeks to turn Guatemala into a center for the generation of competitive human capital. These are the highlighted actions of the bet:
- Promote English language learning programs. These would be focused at the basic and diversified level.
- Increase the scholarship fund for training in programming and certifications. It is worth mentioning that the technology development market is mainly driven by high value-added services, including the following: consulting, implementation, and management of applications.
- Complementary training programs for technical and managerial skills for middle managers. In this way, the experience of workers in operational tasks would be used to validate and certify them and with this, be able to apply for a management position.
How would this second bet impact the country?
There is an opportunity to hire between 25,000 and 35,000 management positions at the middle management level in the next 5 years, which could come from professionals with incomplete tertiary education and who currently perform a managerial, pre-managerial or operational role in the formal labor sector.
The importance of Human Capital
Within the strategic priorities contained in the National Competitiveness Policy 2018-2032, the transcendental nature of Human Capital stands out. This, not only because of the direct effect it has on productive sectors with the capacity to create formal jobs, attract new investment, and sustainable economic growth, but also because it is the starting point for a productive life for millions of young people who year with year join the labor force.
What are the other 4 bets?
The other 4 bets consist of turning Guatemala into…
- A world-class logistics hub.
- A country with leading companies in sustainable development.
- A competitive regional destination for trade facilitation and investment attraction.
- A country with 100% digital trade and investment processes.
