Hiring of women in Panama is on the rise. However, in the Bocas del Toro province, female unemployment stands at 15%, the highest in the country. This situation is worsened by the departure of Chiquita Panama and street closures in protest against reforms to the social security system (CSS). Labor Minister Jackeline Muñoz clarified that official data from the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) is only current through September 2025 and does not reflect recent hiring driven by the private sector. "Private enterprise, not the government, creates jobs," stated the minister. She also announced that training programs for women will continue to improve their opportunities and achieve sustainable employment. However, the situation is not uniform across the country. In the last four months of 2025, this sector saw a 20% increase in hiring compared to men, thus reducing the gender gap in the labor market. According to the Ministry of Labor and Labor Development (Mitradel), the areas with the highest female participation are logistics and customer service, although authorities aim to open more opportunities in other sectors to lower the overall unemployment rate, which is at 10.4%.
