Expat Employment in Panama in 2020

It’s hard to think there is anything good as a result of COVID-19, but one thing is that individuals have been forced to think outside the box in terms of how to realize income while sequestered. If you are able to work from anywhere, why not Panama where the weather is nice, the people are tolerant and friendly and the cost-of-living is generally lower than other places offering a stunning ocean view or a mountain retreat.

Options for expat employment in Panama range from salaried positions with multinational companies to remote working online to opening a restaurant or retail shop. In this guide, we explore your options for expat employment in Panama and share stories of expats working in Panama today.

Many Protected Positions in Panama

Panama is protective of its citizens and has instituted a law which, for the most part, does not allow foreigners to work in certain job categories. If you are foreign born, but married to a Panamanian, then you can work in the “protected Job” classifications. This ensures specialized professionals will not compete against non-Panamanians for well-paying positions. If, for some reason more professionals are needed than there are Panamanians to fill them, the government can issue an exception.

The protected jobs include many in the medical field including physicians, dentists, dental assistants, registered nurse, medical assistant, laboratory technician, pharmacist, dietitian, social worker, speech language therapist, physical therapist, psychologist and sociologist. Lawyers, veterinarians and chiropractors are also on the list. Certified public accountants, journalists, public relations professionals, economists, engineers, architects, chemists, cosmetologist and hairdressers are protected.

In addition to the protected jobs categories, Panamanian companies must limit their foreign-born employees to no more than 10% of their overall workforce. For every ten employees, only one can be non-Panamanian or not married to a Panamanian. Additionally, salaries from Panama-based companies tend to be lower than what North Americans expect so it’s not easy to obtain a standard salaried position as a foreigner in Panama.

Multinational Companies in Panama

Panama is home to many multinational corporations and they offer some excellent jobs for highly specialized professionals such as logistics, but many of those positions are filled by their employees who are transferred to Panama from another location.

Your chances of scoring a position are much better if you are at least bilingual in Spanish and English. Western hotels are often looking for English-speaking front desk agents and other customer interfacing positions such as waiters and bartenders. These companies may have some capacity for foreign-born employees since they will have a large employee base who are generally Panamanian.

Of course, there are plenty of side hustles going on in the younger expat community for odd jobs such as bar backs, restaurant servers, housekeepers, and babysitters. A gentleman from Montreal has been making a living in Coronado for years cutting people’s hair in his garage even though hairdressers are on the protected jobs list.

Remote Employment for Expats in Panama

Even with all these restrictions, most expats who really want to earn money find a way to do so and that has never been more true since the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditional workers such as a project manager or marketing professional once took for granted they would need to go into an office to complete their duties are now staying at home and finding themselves very productive.

To work remotely, you need good internet and that is true in the larger cities of Panama, but not as much in the rural and more remote sections. Here are a few current gigs expats in Panama are doing, along with their comments:

Writing Marketing Materials for a chain of chicken focused fast casual restaurants located in the six southern states including Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. “I monitor all their social media including Instagram and facebook, plus I respond to any questions or comments. Three times a week I put together an e-mail blast talking about the specials and posting discount opportunities like mention hot chicken and get 15% off! They also send me photos and I write promotional materials including a blog and recipes that is posted on their website. I love it. I am paid hourly and then depending on how well the specials go, I get a quarterly bonus. It helps that I loved their chicken before moving to Panama.”

TeleScribe for a university-based healthcare provider. “When I learned RNs couldn’t work, even part time or with short-term assignments in Panama I thought I’d be a stay-at-home wife when my husband was transferred to Panama, but then I learned about being a TeleScribe. I now manage all the records for a physician who is doing half his work remotely. He sees the patient over the medical version of Zoom and I sit in a little box at the bottom of the screen and record everything from the diagnosis to billing. I will write the correspondence if a second opinion is needed or do some research. When he is in the OR, I’m keeping everything straight so it comes out to be full-time. If I don’t want to be physically with him on the exchange, he hits a button and everything is recorded, stored in the cloud and I review it when it’s good for me.”

Voice Overs for many advertising agencies in the United States. “I have made my living sounding like everything from a renowned physician to an Average Joe. I have a voice that can change easily. I’ve hawked allergy medicine, radial tires, antacids and lending services. It was an easy transition from doing the voice overs, mostly in person to building a sound proof room in my Panamanian condo for recordings. I enjoy connections from when I physically needed to be around, but there are all kinds of sites where you can pick up quick work from anywhere.”

Blogging for different businesses. “Everyone thinks they would be really good at blogging. I’m here to tell you it takes discipline. People will start off trying to write weekly and that lasts for about a week. Then they look at the calendar and realize they haven’t blogged in three months and they’ve lost their audience. It’s overwhelming for people trying to run a business.

I started writing my own travel blog and then a reader put me in touch with a specialty grocery store chain who liked my writing. They had four stores and wanted to know if I could manage their blog. When I moved to Panama they never gave it a second thought and I just kept writing. Then I had other companies who wanted to engage me as a blogger, but I found it difficult to write about food one day and financial trends the next. I now only do food related blogs because I am a gourmet cook and I understand what I’m writing about. I love getting an email telling me they sold all the pancetta in every store after I wrote about how to use it.”

Online Teaching and Tutoring is in even greater demand. “I have been a college professor for thirty years. I have stood in front of 250 students and I have worked with graduate students in small groups, but now I am teaching from Panama while looking out at the Pacific Ocean. I like it much better. You have to be organized and you really don’t need that pesky Ph.D required for campus positions.”

“I have a friend here who is preparing on-line students for taking the ACT and SAT exams. She is paid more than I am, but it’s harder working one-on-one. Either way, we have plenty of time for cocktails on the balcony.”

Nurse Recruiter for a multi-facility healthcare provider. “Applicants apply to the website for nursing positions and I call them on What’sApp or a Vonage number in the right area code and I do the preliminary interview covering their speciality, desired shift, expected salary—that sort of stuff. If I want to pursue them, I’m selling the benefits package, the exciting work environment and then I set an appointment for them with the appropriate hiring manager, who is likely a charge nurse or nurse manager. I maintain an excel spread sheet so everyone knows where someone is in the process and when they are hired. I’m paid an hourly wage of $30 and bonuses for every hire that stays 90 days. I manage my time so I have plenty of daytime hours available because I often call in the evenings.”

Calendar Manager for entrepreneurs. “I am extremely organized and while that might sound a bit boring the three very busy individuals I manage calendars for love it. I get a zillion texts, emails and voicemails each day requesting I fit someone in, or not, and I even make time to make sure they get their teeth cleaned regularly. I know when to remind them it’s their anniversary and their mum’s birthday. I make sure they remember mine too!”

Editing and proofreading everything from medical and law books to college essays. “When I heard about the Operation Varsity Blues scandal where everyone from Aunt Becky on Full House and Felicity Huffman from Desperate Housewives had been arrested for going too far helping their children get into colleges, I had to remind myself why I made my students actually write their own college essays and sticking to just editing and guiding. Parents can be really, really aggressive, but for the past eight years I’ve made great supplemental income from Panama helping students put forth their best effort on a college application. A woman down the hall takes on editing law book chapters and a retired physician a few floors up details medical text books.”

Local Expat Employment

Many expat businesses have cropped up to help sustain Panama’s growing expat and tourism community. For those who stay in Panama for the long-run, local expat services are a great way to make money and welcome newcomers to the area.

Interior Design and Shopping for individuals purchasing property in Panama. “A lot of people purchase property as an investment and rental property and they just want someone to furnish it according to a budget. They want someone to buy it, arrange it and make it attractive for renters. I do that most days, but then I also get the more interesting assignment where people are going to live in the home and they have very specific thoughts about what the furniture should look like! I love the challenge of finding that exact blue sofa!”

Property Management of condominiums in Coronado, renting to expats and other tourists. “I have about seven clients who own one or multiple units in Coronado Golf and Coronado Bay. I’m always juggling units during the high season, but my goal is often to get long-term renters. If needed, I’ll do some AirBnB rentals, but for at least a week. The money is better on the short-term, but there’s a lot more work. I keep the units in tip top shape, pay all the bills, purchase things like a mattress or toilet seat and then charge back the customer. I like the flexibility, but it’s important to have a team of professionals you trust to do maintenance and repairs.”

Restaurants and Retail

While there are all types of online and remote work being happening from Panama, many expats generate income by opening restaurants or retail stores.

Many expats open restaurants and bars, particularly outside Panama City in the beach towns of Coronado, Gorgona, and Playa Bianca and the mountain setting such as Boquete.

It’s also common for expats to open brick and mortar stores for everything from homemade soaps and lotions to bike repair shops and miniature golf.

Teaching English in Panama

If you have any skill which can be taught you can make money. Teaching English is something that is done routinely by expats. It’s good to get the attention of the many international schools located in Panama City, if you want to teach children from privileged backgrounds, because they often make referrals. There are also English teaching schools but those positions are normally filled by people who have a certification for Teaching English As a Second Language (TESL) or English as a Second Language (ESL). Most universities offer a course you can easily complete prior to moving to Panama.

There are websites dedicated specifically to finding positions once you have your certification including ESL employment. There are other sites such as ESL Cafe, but more times than not, those opportunities aren’t in Panama, but rather China and Korea. You really just have to keep searching.

Additionally, art, swimming, cooking, driving and music instructors are sought mostly in Panama City. Once you are established as a good instructor, you often have more work than you can cover.

Taxation for Expats

The main difference in actually opening a store or teaching in Panama and simply earning money remotely while in Panama is taxation. Expats do not have to pay taxes on money earned in another country but if you are actually earning money in Panama and invoicing people you will need to pay taxes to the Panamanian government.

Coworking and Collaboration in Panama

If you want to work remotely, but still need interaction with others, Panama has a unique work site to easily fill that need. The City of Knowledge is located in what was originally the US Army headquarters known as Ft. Clayton.

Located directly adjacent to the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal, The City of Knowledge provides office space and co-working environments for Panamanians and foreigners alike. Artists, start-up tech companies, writers and bloggers can secure an office environment for $135 a month. Everything is provided including high-speed internet, shared conference rooms and a cafeteria