Work Permit Changes affect Foreigners

The Panamanian government has incorporated additional requirements for foreigners to acquire a work permit in Panama.

The biggest change in the rules is that a contractor is only able to employ one temporary foreign worker for every 7 Panamanian employees. Previously the rules state that contractors could employ one foreign worker for every Panamanian worker. 

With these changes, the ministry of labor states, that companies should consider the relative weight that the workers can have on their payrolls. 

Last year, 26,306 work permits were approved.