Ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s two-day visit to Guatemala, one of the topics the administration will address is the orderly migration of Guatemalans to Guatemala for temporary work.
Labor Minister Miriam Roquel said that one of the topics to be discussed with the U.S. official is temporary employment, as it provides a means of regularization for those willing to relocate to that country for employment.
Although the official indicated she will not participate in this meeting, she said another meeting is planned for Wednesday, February 5, and that the Ministry of Labor is requesting an increase in the number of spaces available for Guatemala because it is competing with Honduras and El Salvador for work visas, a message that will be conveyed by government authorities.
«The current United States government is anti-immigrant and is likely betting on how we legalize our immigrants,» the Guatemalan minister said in a meeting with the Vos party in Congress.
He added that several U.S. companies that have visited Guatemala have also requested that this issue be raised at the meeting so that employers can also be heard, as they need labor in that country. «I think the issue will be fundamental: migration and security,» Roquel added.
Through the Labor Mobility Program coordinated by Mintrab, 3,945 beneficiaries traveled to various countries to work temporarily during 2024; however, the number decreased by 555 people compared to the 4,500 registered in 2023.
In Congress, the Ministry of Labor is questioned about why that number has decreased.
Last year, the majority, 3,704 people traveled to the United States to work, 230 to Canada, and 11 to Italy.
In Spain’s case, 400 people already authorized by their employers are expected to relocate, with the first group scheduled to depart on February 10, said Deputy Minister Claudia Peneleu.
There are also agreements with Mexico, Costa Rica, and Belize, as well as with Germany.
By 2025, the number of visas issued in 2023 is expected to be recovered, reaching around 4,500 again. However, authorities indicated that this will depend on the results of the Rubio meeting and the decisions made by the Guatemalan government.
Several aspects were questioned in Congress. Some 300,000 migrants leave for the United States each month, but the program has only had the capacity to recruit around 4,000 annually, and the number decreased in 2024 compared to the previous year.
Ministry of Labor officials attributed the second factor to the fact that the program manager failed to consider the opportunity for interested individuals to apply in January of that year, even though companies were already seeking personnel.
They added that the then coordinator, Luis Juárez, came from the previous government’s administration and remained in office for 10 months until 2024.
The program had a budget of Q5.8 million that year, but only about Q2.5 million, or about 42%, was executed.
The deputy minister also explained that one of the difficulties they have encountered is that many people interested in or applying for a position do not meet the requirements or profiles, as a certain level of English is required.
The Ministry of Labor acts as an intermediary or connection between the worker and the employer, but the employer is the one who authorizes it, and there are often barriers, for example, for people who don’t speak English, but they are required to have a level of 30%. Then, another phase of training, qualification, and certification of skills must be entered.
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