Hiring Good Help In Panama
Do Your Research Before Hiring
Anyone who has tried to build a home or business in Panama will tell you that skilled help is hard to find, especially once you get outside of Panama City. Because there are more people in the city, there are more skilled employees to draw from. In Panama’s interior, good help is hard to find.
I have a number of friends in the Los Santos province that own restaurants, bars and hotels. Each of these people have told me finding good help is like finding a needle in a haystack. Sure, there definitely are talented and hard working Panamanians, but most of them leave the interior to find better opportunities in the big city.
Take for example, a US expat who runs a bar/restaurant in Los Santos. The first bartender she hired, stole $200 from the lottery machines in the bar. One of the cooks in the restaurant was hired because he said he used to work for Bennigan’s in Panama City. Well, once he was hired, it was easy to see what he really meant was that he once walked passed a Bennigan’s in Panama City. This poor guy could never replicate the same simple meal twice (burgers, fries, hot wings). He would also leave the refrigerator door open overnight, only for the owner to get to the kitchen in the morning to find all of the food spoiled.
Another restaurant owner I know hired a young man to work as a host, after the guy went to every business in the town looking for work. He seemed like a very good worker. He was very attentive to all of the customers in the restaurant and gave great service. He was fired three days in to the job when the restaurant owner caught him stealing money and beverages from behind the bar.
It seems that a common trend in Panama’s interior provinces is for people to overstate their qualifications and experience. Friends I know that have built houses in the interior have found contractors will talk a good game, but when it comes to execution that’s a very different story.
There are some very good, hard working and honest people looking for work in Panama. For anyone looking for an employee, the best thing to do is to get references. Those people that are great employees will have people more than willing to vouch for them and their capabilities.
An employment agency would be a great idea for anyone looking to start a business in Panama. I am sure many foreigners in Panama would pay an agency fee to know they are hiring someone who is qualified and has been screened.
| Written by Rebecca Tyre |  |
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Filed under: Business, News on October 1st, 2008
Boy did you hit the nail on the head. One thing I never considered when I started my company was how difficult and expensive it was going to be find good help. The general quality that was lacking in my previous employees was the lack of initiative. Do I really have to watch over you as you do your work so you’ll do it right? Usually that was the case and unfortunately (at least as an employer) it’s not exactly easy or inexpensive to let an employee go here in Panama.
It hasn’t been easy finding employees that see the big picture, but when you find them you treat them better than gold. I am almost scared, as we are going to expand into real estate, virtual tours and tour packages that will require another round trial and error hirings, but you have to do what you have to. Wish me luck.
Hey,
Very interested in your article. I am an English lady who is coming to Panama around the 9th November and am looking for a job there. I have been working for all my life in Sales and Real Estate and been working for the last 2 years selling property in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Dubai. I am hard working and reliable and would appreciate any advice you could give on how to go about finding contacts and work in Panama. Maybe I would even be suitable for your new Real Estate venture. Look forward to hearing from you. All the best Erica.