(MENAFN- The Costa Rica News) With eco-tourism, agriculture and technological innovatión as the main motors, and prioritizing free enterprise along with top-notch bilingual education for all its citizens, C osta R ica keeps growing both socially and economically with the perfect synergy between the private and public sectors, making possible that this country small in size but yet big in productivity has converted itself into the main Tech center of Latin america, attracting foreign companies and investors to the region.
According to IMF and World Bank reports, s ince the beggining of the 90s, this nation has dedicated
aproximately 0,5% of its GDP to R/D in the science and technolgy sectors and at
the same time progressively increasing its investment for modern infrastucture
and human resource optimization, becoming a magnet for private
enterprise, with the creation during this period of more than 600 IT, 4000
manufactering and 13000 service sector companies and one billion dollars in
technological export products and generating more than 500000 new jobs, data
giving buy the National Statistics Institute (INEC).
Having a population of aproximately five million and 51,000 square
kilometers and with less than 200km between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans,
Costa Rica has two main ports with state-of-the-art terminals that move
thousands of products to and from the country. Costa Rica has designed and already put into implementation the
'Digital Transformation Strategy 2018-2022', with six essential points focused
on developing the use of technology for optimal productivity aimed towards an
increase of the living standards for all citizens.
The development of 'Technology Parks' as industrial spaces destined specifically for providing multiple services and tax benefits in the establishment of tech enterpreneurships have become one the most important contributors to the sector's growth in Costa Rica. Top companies such as Intel,Vmware ,IBM ,HP ,Microsoft ,Amazon ,Mckinsey ,Sykes ,DXC technology ,Concentrix ,Tek Experts ,Experian ,Procter & Gamb le and many others have established themselves in the industrial parks. Space rentals, high speed internet services and fitness centers are part of the perks these companies have access to at the technology parks, well-known examples are: American Free Zone, UltraPark I, Ultrapark II, and Global Park.
The health and medical services sector has been one of the main
driving force behind this exponential growth into tech-productivity. With an
abundance of qualified professionals in science and technology, these large
health companies have chosen Costa Rica as a hub for their manufacturing, IT
and BPS operations. Just to name a few, SurMedical, Microvention-Terumo,Hologic and Phillips ,G SK andPfizer .
Technology has been considered an integral part of education in
Costa Rica since 1987. Now, with basic technological exposure implemented in all
schools, the government is pivoting towards a focus on preparing its citizens
for tech-oriented jobs. And the private sector is backing this focus. Costa
Rica has defined a clear way foward, that it to form its human resources with
that vision towards the future that implies technological advances, as to take maximum
advantage of the new world context in which digitilization and automation are
ever expanding. This focus has sparked the interest of young professionals in
the country, and is reflected in the ever increasing number of active engineering
profesionals in recent years whose number currently stands at around 150000bilingual and qualifiedpersonnel mostly formed in the
country.
Currently Costa Rica is the top ranked country in Central America and among the first in Latin America with regards to financial technology or 'fintech' startups growth. Foreign technology companies operating in the technology parks.
There's no doubt Costa Rica today has a dinamic and ever growing economy, that is more than paradisiacal touristic options, it is also offering the optimal conditions for large and medium size technology companiesto develop new ideas. This pro-business environment welcomes expats and investors looking to start operations and creating new opportunities for the region. Definitely it is the Central American country 'to watch' as a cutting-edge technological hub
MENAFN0709201902160000ID1098974938
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.