Chile’s Labour Shortage: Good For Some, Bad For Business

The jobless rate in Chile has fallen to its lowest level in 15 years and by some measures the country is at (or close to) full employment. That’s good for workers but it poses problems for companies, many of which are struggling to find well-trained employees at competitive rates of pay.

A couple of years ago, around a quarter of the people who walked through Ignacio González’s office door in the Santiago suburb of Las Condes were unemployed. Most were well-qualified professionals with impressive CVs but they were struggling to find work.

“That’s changed,” says González, general manager of Mandomedio.com, a headhunting company. “These days everyone has a job. They come to us because they’re looking for a better one.”