Cuba's economy. Blog #4 (IT Labor Market)

Cuba has one of the best educated workforces in Latin America. Nevertheless, since the job opportunities are offered by the government, the chances for professionals are only a few.Cuba has the highest educated population in Latin America. 95.7% of Cubans are literate.Cuba has a total of 47 universities and total university enrollment is approximately 112,000 per year.

LABOR MARKET:
Cuba has an active population of 4.5 workers. The labor market is comprised of the following sectors: services and government, 30%; industry, 22%; agriculture, 20%; commerce, 11%; construction, 10%; and transportation and communications, 7%. High-tech workers are included in the services and government category. Approximately 170,000 Cubans are self-employed. Since the 1980's the rate of university enrollment went down since the salaries are very low and the jobs and employees are chosen by the government making the chances for success very hard for the people.

INCOME AND PURCHASING POWER:
The salaries in Cuba are very poor which is the major reason why studying has gone down a bit. The professionals in Cuba make a very small amount of money monthly which is very sad.Monthly salaries in state-run positions range from 150-200 pesos for secretaries and laborers to 300-425 pesos for engineering and medical professionals. Government-sponsored pensions range from 120-190 pesos per month. Currently, 30 pesos equate to $1 USD.

To give an indication of purchasing power, consider the following price listing at a Havana farmers market:

1 pound rice: 15 pesos
1 bunch carrots: 10 pesos
1 pound black bean: 20 pesos
1 pound pork: 32 pesos
1 turkey: 300 pesos
1 chicken: 120 pesos

IT LABOR SUPPLY AND DEMAND
Cuba's largest IT programs are at ISPAJE and the University of Habana, which are creating a larger IT graduate base to rise the Cuban economy. More than 18,000 students have graduated from computer science and computer engineering programs. However,the Cuban high-tech industry currently employs only 6,000 workers.

The Cuban government's attitude towards information and lack of Internet access are a constraint. Currently, the Cuban government invests 1.17% of GDP to technological research and development. IT professionals are increasing, with a rate of 1.8 scientists and engineers per 1,000 citizens, 47 universities, and over 200 research and development centers. However, IT training is restricted by the technology currently in use. Much of Cuban connectivity is based on the X.25 protocol, which is outdated and poorly suited to IP traffic. Technological training will likely shift when more capital is available.

There is limited access to hardware and information in Cuba. IT professionals must contend with 2,400 bps data transfers and constant redialing to make connections. Cuban technicians cannot go online and download the latest version of software or hardware and very few have access to technical books or industry journals .

Since Cuba is not a nation enriched in IT such as the United States or other higher-income nations, the focus of Cuban IT is still on programming and not on other areas such as training or hardware development. Cuban IT professionals continue to meet the country's technical needs, but with antiquated IT infrastructure and poor anti-piracy laws, few IT professionals are flocking to the software development industry.

Currently because of the communism in Cuba a lot of the people who want to study, usually think about it twice because they figure that their chances to succeed are higher by working with the tourists that visit the country that actually graduating from an university because their salary is going to be miserable while when working with tourists in resorts or restaurants they will make in a weekend more than they will make in a month of salary working on a career.

Without Castro in the power and Cuba becoming a democratic country, i think that Cuba would be one of the most successful countries in America. There is a lot of smart people and hardworking. The rate of immigration right now in Cuba is 1.54 person per 100 citizens. Cuba could be a country with one of the best economies if it became a democratic country.

Found this information on Google, and a Magazine called Rebelde.