Hi,
I'd like to ask this question as it is causing a lot of problems. Even though I am posting this on the Expat forum, it isn't really for expats but local Ecuadorian citizens living there. I can't seem to find any other English forum to ask this question.
My girlfriend's ex-husband is Ecuadorian living there without work for the past 4 years. The ex-husband does not pay any money to his child. He says there is no work in Ecuador.
Me and my girlfriend living so far away and without a clue about Ecuador have no way of knowing what the real situation it is there in Ecuador.
So here are my questions:
Is the Employment rate really so bad in Ecuador?
Is it really difficult for a man in his late 40s to get a job there, considering he studied Business and Economics?
Is there a way to find out about if person is already working? Anything like an Ecuadorian LinkedIn etc
Thanks,
Mike
Working in Ecuador - Employment rates?
Your girlfriend's ex-husband may very be telling the truth. The reality is that the basic salary is only $394 a month. And while the unemployment rate is officially low, underemployment is staggeringly high.
There are 4,100,000 underemployed people out of working population of 8 million. That amounts to more than 50% of all employees. The definition of underemployment in Ecuador is when a person wishes to work full-time or earn at least the minimum salary ($394) but is unable to.
If we include unemployed people then 60% of the working population of Ecuador has employment problems as the article I linked previously stated.
As for the difficulty of older people acquiring jobs, that too is true. Rarely, would anyone see older folk working in Quito. It is general knowledge in Ecuador that anyone seeking employment who is over 40 needs some kind of connection or palanca as they say here.
Even when unemployment in Person X's country is sky-high, his personal unemployment rate is zero if he has a job.
So whatever the national level of unemployment, that's not the determining factor in this case.
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The fact is he'd have to be off-the-charts estúpido to duck child-support obligations while being listed on a Linked In-type site showing him productively employed.
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Is he under a government- or court-ordered program that legally compels him to provide financial support for his child, regardless of where that child is growing up? Has paternity been legally established?
If so, then he has an obligation to fulfill regardless of how few jobs anyone claims are available/not available in Ecuador.
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The Vennies have scooped up many jobs at places such as hair salons, hostess nightclubs and as promotores for tourist-area restaurants. Another popular money-maker here is selling clear-plastic bags of tiny mandarin oranges, cherries and strawberries on the street at a dollar a pop.
Still, Ecuadorian nationals receive preference for jobs for which they are qualified applicants.
cccmedia in Quito
If you post again, Mike, consider telling us whether the child is living with you and/or the child's mother.
cccmedia
For a definitive answer, the OP can do what the locals in Ecuador do when dealing with a similar situation. Hire a local attorney and via cédula/RUC they will be able to find employment information, assets, etc.
Now if the dude is selling 3 or 4 avocados on the street corner for a $1 that income is probably not reported.
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