Analyze opportunities to overcome equality gaps

Actors from the private and public sector and international organizations analyzed the current situation in Panama on equality, inclusion and equality at the El Factor Inclusion Forum: “Promoting talent and opening opportunities”.

A guarantee that both men and women have the same occasions and be recognized for their talents in order to have more prosperous economies and societies, continues to be a challenge at the global, regional and local levels.

Aimeé Sentmat de Grimaldo, Executive President of Banistmo, He told those present that, if we talk about gaps, in Panama we have a significant debt to the youth. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics from April 2022, young people aged 15 to 29 represent 24% of the working class, while 54% are unemployed.

“Before the pandemic, we were already facing significant challenges. Today, the needs and necessary efforts are even greater to achieve economic recovery, eliminate differences, include our youth in the official labor market, generally provide employment opportunities,” said Sentmat.

The forum was suitable for getting to know the current situation of Panamanian youth on the labor market. Magdiel Torres and María Laura Pezzotti from the group Alianza por los Jóvenes Panameños published the main results of the research Youth employability in Panama which shows that, with regard to the labor market, 82% of the young people who participated are not working. 70% of them are between the ages of 22 and 24 and said that jobs require proven experience.

“We need companies to understand that new generations can gain experience within organizations, 78% of respondents who work do not do so in their areas of specialization or study. Young people should be listened to and taken into account as people who can bring agility, creativity and innovation to companies,” he said. Magdiel Torres from the Federation for Panamanian Youth.

For her part, María del Carmen Sacasa, representative United Nations Program in Panama (UNDP)he emphasized that in fact young people, and within them also young women to a greater extent, face greater work interruptions, which is explained by intensive entry and exit from the workforce, unsafe working conditions, which ensure informality and low-skilled jobs, which all together limit opportunities acquiring specific qualifications and continuing their professional or technical training.

“The pandemic represented a big step back in terms of inequality and poverty and so that Panama, Latin America and the Caribbean progress on the development path, measures must be taken to ensure the inclusion of women in digital transformation processes, strengthen diverse educational and work paths, and build a fairer and more inclusive labor market,” said Sacasa.

During the development of the panel on opportunities for women and girls in science and technology, the general manager of Microsoft in Panama, Jorge Saa mentioned that the organization he represents is committed to promoting an inclusive culture and inspiring girls from an early age through education and access to technological opportunities.

The executive added that “according to the data from Unesco, only 35% of STEM students in higher education in the world are women. This large gender gap is especially concerning when we consider that STEM careers are known as the jobs of the future. To bridge the gap, we need to educate and empower girls to believe they can do so much more and create spaces where girls and young women can interact with role models and others. To contribute to these steps, we have been conducting DigiGirlz for 20 years, and in Central America and Panama, more than 15,000 young people have been part of this technological journey since 2010.”

On this topic, Milena Gómez, rector of the Specialized Higher Technical Institutehe said that it is necessary to break the paradigms of roles in the professions and to intervene in this change of cultural modeling from childhood, education and in the creation of spaces that encourage the adventure of entering the world of science and technology.

“We have to do something if we want to make a difference through education. in ITSE we create space for young women in technical and scientific careers. We have a care and breastfeeding center for the sons and daughters of our students and they can calmly devote themselves to their studies, these are details that can make a difference in promoting educational continuity”, said Milena Gómez.

Kharla Aizpurúa from Capatec also participated in this panel, as a moderator, and Cultural Attaché of the United States Embassy in Panama, Carmen Arakelian.

Aimeé Sentmat de Grimaldo closed this An inclusive forum moderated by a panel on good practices within private companies in terms of inclusion, equality and fairness, with the participation of representatives of private companies such as Paula Londoño from Nestlé, Juan Octavio Díaz from Casa de la Batería and Berliza Arosemena from Real State Attorney & Realtor and benefited from Promoting Mentorski program Banistmo.