Costa Rica Construction Permits Drop By 40% In 2009

According to the most recent study by the Costa Rica Chamber of Construction (CCC) (Cámara Costarricense de la Construcción) which examines the permits issued for construction in Costa Rica every year, the number of square meters built up to November 2009 was 40% less than the same period in 2008.

This decline in construction has meant the direct loss of about 24,000 jobs. The sector employs a total of 128,386 people in comparison to 152,445 in 2008.

For 2008 the total number of square meters of construction permits applied for was 6,842,641 M2, for 2009 the total was 4,207,297 M2

The biggest drop – thanks to the general economic slowdown in much of the world – was felt in Guanacaste where they experienced a 77% drop over 2008.

In 2009 the largest number of construction permits were requested in the Heredia, San Carlos, Santa Ana, Alajuela and San José areas.

For 2010 Randall Murillo, the Executive Director of the Costa Rica Chamber of Construction is more optimistic and believes we’ll see a 13% increase in construction.

Our thanks to Gabriela Mayorga and our friends at La Nación – Costa Rica’s largest Spanish circulation newspaper for their permission use this article.

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Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.