Firms in Costa Rica exporting abroad employ 554,690 persons, according to the PROCOMER foreign trade promotion agency. The agency adds that 53% of the employees are in agricultural exports and that the total number of jobs includes tourism sector employees.

In all, some 2,485 companies rely on exports for income. The figures come from a survey conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Census contracted by PROCOMER.

Of the export firms, those dealing in manufacturing or export of food items employ the most, up 413,437 from last year’s figure of 374,419, an increase of 10.4%.

Other firms, providing services to oversea customers employ 140,253 persons. But this figure includes tourism, 61% of the total. (This is an unusual interpretation of “export’, since the services are not exported but the customers are, in a manner of speaking, imported.)

Monica Segnini of the Exporters’ Chamber told the national newspaper La Nacion that these figures show a complete recuperation — they are back to 2007 levels before the worldwide economic meltdown.

Segnini admitted that recuperation had been slow but sustained. Slowest, she told the paper, was in development of firms that supply the materials for manufacturers to turn into finished export products.

Foreign Trade Minister Anabel Gonzalez noted that export trade has been the most dynamic sector in the national economy.

But Segnini cautioned, “the country must be clear that we seek new products, diversify markets and, above all, develop new companies.”