Human resources in computer sciences in Costa Rica: The elusive gap between supply and demand

Abstract

We analyze in this paper the supply and demand of human resources in computer sciences in Costa Rica. This is done with the aim of validating claims made by the local media about a large deficit of professionals for ICT occupations in this country. On the supply side, we find an increase in the number of university graduates in computer sciences, which is greater than the increase in the total number of academic degrees granted. On the demand side, we find that the expected demand-using the available data-does not seem to largely exceed the supply, apparently contradicting the existence of a large deficit. However, limitations in the data obtained, as well as methodological problems for measuring the gap between supply and demand, might be affecting these results. These limitations are discussed and solutions to overcome them are presented.