economy
diciembre 20, 2025
Nicaragua perdió 100 mil empleos formales desde 2018 y se hunde en una economía de sobrevivencia
Desde 2018, Nicaragua vive un deterioro progresivo del empleo formal que ha empujado a miles de personas a sobrevivir en la economía informal. El número de trabajadores asegurados en el Instituto Nicaragüense de Seguridad Social cayó en casi 100 mil en los últimos ocho años, mientras más del 74% de la población ocupada labora sin acceso a pensiones, cobertura médica o tienen estabilidad laboral. Los datos oficiales muestran que la economía nicaragüense no genera empleo digno, sino condiciones de subsistencia
TL;DR
- Nicaragua lost nearly 100,000 formal jobs between 2017 and June 2025, a sustained decline following the 2018 sociopolitical crisis.
- Sectors like construction, commerce, agriculture, and domestic work offer the lowest wages, averaging less than 9000 córdobas monthly.
- Higher-paying jobs in finance, telecommunications, and central government accounted for only 11.3% of INSS affiliates in 2023.
- Even those earning over 25,000 córdobas struggle to cover household expenses, resorting to informal income-generating activities.
- Over 74% of the employed population works in informal conditions, lacking social security, stability, or benefits.
- Underemployment rates reached 38% nationally and 42.4% in Managua in August 2025, indicating inadequate work conditions.
- The number of registered employers decreased from 40,055 in 2018 to 36,874 in 2023, signaling business closures or a shift to informality.
- Real average wages in sectors like agriculture, commerce, and services are insufficient to cover the basic basket of goods, which exceeds 20,000 córdobas monthly.
- International isolation, lack of investment guarantees, and a centralized economic scheme hinder the creation of sustainable jobs.
- Women are disproportionately affected, concentrated in informal, low-paid, or unpaid work, with lower labor market participation rates.