WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao's expanding economy is creating an increasingly difficult question for employers: where will the island find enough workers to fill the jobs being created?
The problem is particularly visible in tourism, where new hotels, restaurants and tourism-related businesses are increasing demand for personnel.
The Curaçao Hospitality and Tourism Association (CHATA) previously estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 additional workers could be needed across hotels, apartments, restaurants and related tourism businesses over a two-year period.
Among the positions identified as being in high demand are cooks, servers, bartenders, gardeners, front-office personnel and operational managers. Shortages have also affected housekeeping and wellness services.
Tourism is not the only sector facing difficulties.
Education has struggled to find qualified teachers, while healthcare, construction and other specialized sectors also depend increasingly on workers recruited from outside Curaçao.
The problem creates a paradox.
Economic growth normally creates employment opportunities, but when the local workforce cannot supply enough people with the required qualifications, businesses increasingly have to recruit abroad.
That creates additional challenges involving work permits, housing and population growth.
CHATA has previously warned that the expansion of tourism is moving faster than the availability of local labor.
CBS recently released new labor results from the 2025 Social Survey, providing updated information on Curaçao's labor market.
The long-term challenge is therefore not simply creating more jobs. Curaçao must increasingly align education and vocational training with the jobs its growing economy actually needs.
Otherwise, the island could find itself in the unusual position of simultaneously having economic growth, job vacancies and residents who remain unable to access those jobs.