Panama: Request for Flexible Rules for Foreigners

The president of the Hotel Association of Panama (Apatel), Sara Brown, said they are in negotiations with the Tourism Authority to introduce into the new tourism law being debated in the Legislature, a regulation that allows an increase in the percentage of foreign staff working in businesses related to tourism.

"They have not yet defined by how much they should increase the percentage of foreigners, which currently stands at 10% of the total staff, but the union stresses that this is an important area of discussion, because it is obvious that there is a lack of skilled labor, due to the dynamic growth of the sector.

According to figures from the Directorate General for Employment, and more specifically the Department of Labor Migration at the Ministry of Labor and Workforce Development (MITRADEL), last year some 12,466 foreigners applied for permission to work in Panama. Of these, 10,244 were granted permission", reported Capital.com.pa,

Source: Capital.com.pa

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