The most recent National Household Survey of Costa Rica shows that in this country there is a decrease in child labor compared to the measurement applied in 2011. The reduction is equivalent to 12 thousand fewer minors in the labor market. This makes Costa Rica one of the best positioned countries to meet target 8.7 on child labor of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In Costa Rica there are approximately thirty thousand working minors, therefore, there is a decrease of 1.2 percentage points, since it went from 4.3% in 2011 to 3.1% in 2016. The decrease has been more marked in the group from 5 to 14 years old, which according to ENAHO 2016 has an occupancy rate of only 1.1%. In addition, the survey estimates that the highest percentage of employed minors is held by men (76%).

According to the survey, 30,369 people between the ages of 5 and 17 are employed. The main activities in which this population works are agricultural (33.2%), followed by commercial (26.7%). Likewise, they highlight that the highest percentage of male children and adolescents work in occupations that do not require qualification; on the other hand, the highest percentage of girls and adolescent women do so in services and commercial sales and markets.

According to the Government, this achievement is due to the actions implemented within the framework of the National Strategic Plan  "Roadmap to make Costa Rica a country free of child labor and its worst forms 2015-2020" , which was updated in 2015 to define strategies and interagency coordination for said period. In this way, the work route was developed in coordination with other Ministries, such as Education, Agriculture, Public Security and Culture and Youth; among other institutions, municipalities, employers, unions and Non-governmental organizations In addition, within this framework, the importance of actions focused on reducing agricultural child labor in rural areas was highlighted.

Based on these results, the country sets itself the challenge by 2020 for 20,896 minors to cease their work activity in order to achieve goal 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to end child labor by 2025.

Currently the country, with the support of the International Labor Organization, is finalizing the full analysis and results report of the module on child labor. This report will be published in May 2017.

Costa Rica's commitment to the fight against child labor

Costa Rica was one of the driving countries in 2013 of the  Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Initiative Free of Child Labor (IR) , which is made up of 27 countries in the region, employers 'and workers' organizations, and is considered a platform regional articulation benchmark in the prevention and eradication of child labor.

Also, under South-South cooperation initiatives, Costa Rica is organized to exchange experiences and good practices focused on the fight against child labor with other countries in the region such as Panama, Chile and El Salvador.

In addition, in October of last year the budget to act against child labor in Costa Rica was officially announced to  increase to 375 million colones , through an agreement between the MTSS and the Mixed Institute for Social Assistance (IMAS); which consists of a conditional cash transfer to families that are in poverty conditions and have a minor working, so that they are reinserted and maintained in the educational system and those who perform prohibited or dangerous work cease their job.

Likewise, according to the United States Department of Labor,  in 2015 the country evidenced significant progress in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor , standing out alongside eight other countries in the region.