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OECD report highlights teacher salary and stability trends in Costa Rica and the U.S
An OECD report, ‘Education at a Glance 2026’, highlights divergent trends in education systems across member nations. In Costa Rica, teachers earn higher effective salaries than workers with tertiary education, with secondary teachers earning 169% of the average income for their peers. However, Costa Rican educators face lower job stability compared to the OECD average.
Demographic shifts are also impacting Costa Rica, where the population of children and adolescents aged 5 to 14 is projected to decline by 28% between 2024 and 2033. Experts suggest this may allow for a redirection of resources toward improving educational quality rather than building new infrastructure.
In the United States, the report notes a significant teacher shortage and issues with retention. Approximately 16.3% of lower secondary teachers are career-changers who worked in other sectors for at least a decade before entering education. Additionally, 26% of these teachers operate on contracts of one year or less, contributing to lower job stability compared to the OECD average of 81% permanent employment.
Entities
Costa Rica · Jorge Barquero · OECD · United States · University of Costa Rica
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The population of children and adolescents aged 5 to 14 in Costa Rica is projected to decrease by 28% between 2024 and 2033. www.diarioextra.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Costa Rican teachers have lower job stability than the OECD average. observador.cr
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Costa Rican secondary teachers receive effective salaries equivalent to 169% of the income of tertiary-educated workers. observador.cr
- [○ 1 SOURCE] In Costa Rica, teachers' effective salaries exceed those of workers with tertiary education across all levels. observador.cr
- [○ 1 SOURCE] In the United States, 16.3% of lower secondary teachers entered the profession after working in another field for at least ten years. www.calibre800.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] In the United States, 26% of lower secondary teachers have contracts of one year or less. www.calibre800.com