Shrimp industry exports and their relationship with the unemployment rate in the village of Santa Elena, Marcovia, Choluteca, year 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71112/89q49975Keywords:
shrimp farming, unemployment, exports, economic impact, economic diversificationAbstract
The shrimp industry accounts for the majority of formal employment in southern Honduras. The village of Santa Elena, in the municipality of Marcovia, Choluteca department, is home to ten packing and exporting plants that, under normal circumstances, employ approximately 6,000 people. In 2020, this employment system was subjected to a double disruption: business closures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the passage of Hurricanes Eta and Iota. This quantitative correlational study analyzes whether there is a direct association between shrimp export performance and the termination of employment contracts at these companies during that year. A census was conducted at the ten operating plants. The results show that the four companies that reduced their exports by 25% were precisely the same ones that terminated between 500 and 700 contracts in total, while the six that maintained their export volumes did not terminate any contracts. The association between the variables is strong within the sample and confirms the working hypothesis. The findings reaffirm that local economies that are mono-dependent on a single export sector are structurally vulnerable to external shocks, Band underline the need for productive diversification and labor contingency mechanisms.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Lesbia Leticia Rodas Gomez, Saúl Ernesto Aguilera Betanco (Autor/a)
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