Atlántico

Located in northern Colombia, the Atlántico department is one of 32 departments in the country. It is part of the Colombian Caribbean region, with the port city of Barranquilla as its capital. According to the National Administrative Department of Statistics, the population is estimated at 2.5m. In recent years, Atlántico has stood out for its positive economic performance in both absolute and relative terms, as reflected by growth and employment data. The employment rate has been rising steadily since 2008, reaching 58.4% in 2015, whereas unemployment has been hovering between 7.5% and 8% since 2012, posting a rate of 8% in 2015. This compares favourably with the country as a whole, where unemployment reached 8.9% in 2015. Ensuring high levels of service will be vital for Atlántico to remain competitive going forward, as will investing in key economic areas like innovation and entrepreneurship. This chapter features an interview with Eduardo Verano, Governor, Department of Atlántico.