Some 300,000 employees in Costa Rica’s private sector receive less than the minimum wage, ministry study reveals

A report by Costa Rica’s Labor ministry revealed that 300,000 people, 26.3 percent of the 1.16 million people who work in private companies, receive less than the minimum wage.

During the first year of a national campaign to promote compliance with the minimum wage, the ministry visited more than 17,000 businesses. Most of them were small businesses, the sector with a higher non-compliance rate.

The program was launched in August 2010 and included inspections of establishments with a higher risk of default. Among them, it was found that about 40% paid their employees less than was appropriate.

Original source: Inside Costa Rica