Costa Rica’s greatest nearshore asset is its people. With a 98% literacy rate, the highest English proficiency in Central America, and a deep pipeline of university-educated professionals across technology, engineering, and business disciplines, the workforce quality consistently exceeds expectations.
Education System & Pipeline
Costa Rica has over 50 accredited universities, with public institutions like UCR, ITCR, and UNA producing thousands of engineers, computer scientists, and business graduates annually. ITCR alone graduates 2,000+ engineers per year.
English Proficiency
Costa Rica ranks highest in Central America and among the top in Latin America for English proficiency (EF English Proficiency Index). In tech and BPO sectors, 65–80% of the workforce is functionally bilingual.
Specialized Workforce by Sector
The country has developed deep talent clusters: 85,000+ technology professionals (CAMTIC), 25,000+ medical device manufacturing workers (CAMECID), and 60,000+ BPO/shared services employees (CINDE).
Government Investment in Skills
The Costa Rican government actively co-funds technical training programs through INA (National Learning Institute) in partnership with multinationals, continuously aligning workforce skills with industry demand.