However, Santa Marta continues to be one of the main cities with the greatest informality. Regarding this, the Secretariat of Economic Development and Competitiveness invests in the District Formalization Route, one of the goals established in the Santa Marta 500 Más Development Plan.
During the socialization of the labor market bulletin, the Regional Labor Market Observatory (Ormet) analyzed the recent figures published by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE). Data corresponding to the rolling quarter February-April 2024 reveal that Santa Marta recorded an unemployment rate of 9.6%, placing it below the national average of 11.1% in Colombia’s 23 main cities.
Despite this decrease in the unemployment rate, the overall participation rate has also seen a reduction. This phenomenon suggests the presence of other unidentified sources of employment generation, which the observatory has committed to monitoring. This situation indicates that many people, especially young people, are stopping actively looking for work.
Jaime Morón, technical secretary of Ormet and director of the Gace research group at the University of Magdalena, maintains that the observatory is committed to investigating and understanding the reasons behind this behavior, and to working on strategies to reverse this trend. Likewise, periodic reports will be published to keep the community informed about changes and trends in the region’s labor market.
However, Santa Marta continues to be one of the main cities with the greatest informality, occupying sixth place above Sincelejo, Valledupar, Cúcuta, Riohacha and Montería. According to the labor market bulletin, “of every 100 people who work, approximately 59 do so informally”, which shows one of the main employability challenges facing the city.
For the secretary of Economic Development and Competitiveness of the district, Carlos José Jaramillo Ríos, the situation of the labor market in the district of Santa Marta is an opportunity to invest in public policies around informality. As he explained, his portfolio invests in the District Formalization Route, one of the goals established in the Santa Marta 500 Más Development Plan.
Likewise, he indicated that the Secretariat of Economic Development and Competitiveness is advancing in the District Entrepreneurship Route, whose objective is “to generate more decent and formal jobs, in direct relationship with the direction of our mayor Carlos Pinedo Cuello, who has guided us to create more employment and greater opportunities for the Samarians towards 500 years.
The team from the Secretariat of Economic Development and Competitiveness, the Santa Marta Chamber of Commerce, the Ormet, interns from the University of Magdalena, ProSanta Marta, researchers from the research centers of the Sergio Arboleda University, participated in the work table. Unad and Cajamag, and representatives of the ‘Santa Marta Como Vamos’ program.
The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment between the institutions and key actors of the city to continue working towards economic development and the reduction of informality in Santa Marta. The progress made was highlighted and new goals were established to continue improving the quality of life of the inhabitants. With the support and collaboration of all sectors, the administration is confident that Santa Marta will be able to face the challenges of the labor market and move towards a better future.
Press release.
