Q COSTARICA — Every year-end, the Cámara de Industrias de Costa Rica (CICR)—Costa Rican Chamber of Industries — takes a moment to reflect on the challenges we face as a nation and the possible paths to overcome them. However, this year is different.
The electoral landscape leading up to the 2026 presidential elections makes this year-end a turning point for assessing the economic, social, and institutional direction we want to build together.
Aware of this, the CICR is promoting two concrete efforts that reflect our commitment to democracy and the country’s competitiveness. On the one hand, given the worrying increase in abstention—especially among younger generations—they launched the “Vote For Me” campaign, a corporate social responsibility initiative that seeks to raise civic awareness and promote informed, active, and responsible participation.
On the other hand, they undertook an important exercise in institutional dialogue, hosting 10 presidential candidates in Board of Directors and expanded Executive Committee sessions. The objective was to listen to their perspectives and present them with the priorities contained in our Competitiveness Agenda, because only through clear communication can we find common ground.
“With the devaluation of the colón that began in the second half of 2022 and has worsened in recent weeks, road, airport, and port infrastructure that demonstrates its vulnerability to any commercial or climatic event, and a security situation that is rapidly deteriorating throughout the country, the next government will face a challenging context that will require major agreements to remove the obstacles that prevent us from competing,” stated Sergio Capón, president of the CICR.
A Competitiveness Agenda for the Productive Sector
Their Competitiveness Agenda outlines the main challenges that hinder the performance of the productive sector and, consequently, affect the well-being of all Costa Ricans. They highlight structural issues such as the exchange rate; The quality and availability of human talent; the burden of social security contributions; waiting lists and the sustainability of the Disability, Old Age, and Survivors Insurance (IVM) program within the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS); the growing impact of insecurity; the high cost of energy; the urgent need to modernize ports, highways, and border crossings; the need to standardize health registrations and streamline procedures; the lag in innovation; insufficient incentives for production; and the importance of a deeper and more diversified national internationalization strategy that better leverages the platform of existing trade agreements.
These challenges are neither abstract nor distant; they are felt in businesses, in homes, and in every corner of the country. The 2025 Business Outlook and Competitiveness Factors Survey confirms this reality: for the third consecutive year, the exchange rate remains the main factor affecting the ability to compete. Added to this are social security contributions, which continue to solidify as a structural obstacle, and the CICR.
There is a growing difficulty in finding and retaining human talent, a challenge that has more than doubled in the last three years. Security has also risen in importance, forcing many companies to incur higher costs, adopt exceptional measures, and even reconsider investments.
These challenges can be addressed if there is political will to build consensus.
In the area of human talent, we could make significant progress if the country grants the National Training Institute (INA) greater agility to update programs, hire instructors, and respond to the needs of the labor market; as well as improve the coordination of training and development needs between the productive and academic sectors, both public and private. Furthermore, it is necessary to review the cost and adapt social security contribution schemes to address new forms of employment without jeopardizing the social security system. At the same time, the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) needs to streamline procedures and reduce waiting lists to improve care, the work environment, and the health of our workers.
In the energy sector, modernizing the legal framework of the electricity system is imperative. The country needs to open up investment in renewable energy, diversify its energy mix, and update tariff regulations. Above all, the approval of the Law for the Harmonization of the National Electricity System is a priority, an essential step for the country to compete in energy-intensive industries, such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and to respond to the growing demand for electric mobility and new investments.
It is important to highlight infrastructure advancements such as the opening of the Peñas Blancas Integrated Center and progress toward a new concession at Puerto Caldera, both essential for strengthening the country’s logistics. However, the challenge now is to ensure a truly efficient flow of people and goods at the new border crossing and to finalize the Caldera concession within the established timeframe, so that these advances translate into infrastructure capable of sustaining national competitiveness.
Added to this are other indispensable decisions, such as advancing the standardization of health registrations, eliminating unnecessary procedures, strengthening the fight against informality and illicit trade, promoting innovation as an engine of productivity, and rethinking the internationalization strategy to diversify markets and products. All of this within the framework of protecting the rule of law and the legal certainty that has characterized the business climate and the strength of Costa Rican democracy.
In the international arena, trade is experiencing a context of uncertainty driven by the resurgence of tariff barriers and increased production costs. The new tariffs imposed by the United States since April 2025 underscore the urgent need for Costa Rica to diversify both its production base and its trading partners, as dependence on a few markets and sectors increases vulnerability to external crises and unexpected changes.
This underscores the need for a more proactive agenda from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aimed at minimizing the impact of these tariffs through diplomatic, technical, and commercial efforts that defend the country’s position and protect the competitiveness of our products. All of this must be accompanied by strengthening the internal conditions that the productive sector requires to compete sustainably.
“Our country has achieved great success in its productive transformation, but the current context demands that we face new challenges. Today, we need a national strategy with a shared vision for productive development to build a more competitive, secure, and prosperous Costa Rica,” concluded the president of the industrialists’ association.