Mideplan sets new global salaries for INCOP job classes

The Minister of National Planning and Economic Policy, Carla Morales Rojas, signed Ministerial Guideline No. 008-2026-PLAN, which establishes the global salary column for the job classes of the Costa Rican Institute of Pacific Ports (INCOP). The provision is published in La Gaceta No. 179 on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, and takes effect upon its publication. The amounts range from ¢401,896, for the INCOP Office Clerk class, to ¢2,731,066, for the INCOP Manager class.

The guideline is issued based on Article 46 of the Public Administration Salary Law, Law No. 2166, and Articles 6, 7 paragraphs c) and l), 13, 30, 31, 32, and 33 of the Framework Law on Public Employment (LMEP), Law No. 10159, as well as the Regulations to the LMEP, Executive Decree No. 43952-PLAN. Article 34 of the LMEP provides that the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy (Mideplan) and the General Directorate of the Civil Service (DGSC) shall jointly develop a global salary column for the institutions under their scope of competence.

As a background, Ministerial Guideline No. 002-2023-PLAN of September 8, 2023, published in Supplement No. 173 to La Gaceta No. 165, and its Corrigendum (Ministerial Guideline No. 003-2023-PLAN of November 22, 2023), officialized the application of the Global Salary Column for all entities and bodies under the coverage of the LMEP and the leadership of the General Public Employment System.

Job classes and their amounts

Article 1 instructs the application of the global salary for persons occupying INCOP classifications belonging to the family of paragraph a) of Article 13 of the LMEP, corresponding to “Public servants under the scope of application of Title I and Title IV of the Civil Service Statute.” The monthly amounts in colones are:

INCOP Driver 1: ¢406,463
INCOP Driver 2: ¢484,102
INCOP Office Clerk: ¢401,896
INCOP Secretary 1: ¢548,040
INCOP Secretary 2: ¢634,813
INCOP Technician 1: ¢561,741
INCOP Technician 2: ¢634,813
INCOP Technician 3: ¢780,957
INCOP Professional 1A: ¢904,266
INCOP Professional 1B: ¢1,205,688
INCOP Professional 2: ¢1,328,997
INCOP Professional 3: ¢1,598,450
INCOP Chief 1: ¢1,758,295
INCOP Chief 2: ¢2,036,882
INCOP Chief 3: ¢2,393,108
INCOP IT Professional: ¢1,598,450
INCOP IT Chief Professional: ¢1,735,460
INCOP Manager: ¢2,731,066

From the technical proposal to the ministerial signature

The regulation incorporates the prior procedure documented in the recitals. LETTER-DGSC-AOTC-0118-2026, dated August 25, 2026, signed by Yolanda Campos Arce, acting director of the Work Organization and Compensation Area of the DGSC, submitted the global salary proposal for the INCOP classes to the Ministerial Office of Mideplan.

Subsequently, LETTER-MIDEPLAN-DM-0822-2026, dated September 03, 2026, signed by Minister Carla Morales Rojas, acknowledged the salary proposal for the institutional position classes of INCOP. The directive was issued at the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy, in San José, on September 07, 2026.

Scope and validity

Article 2 states that the established global salary is implemented in accordance with Article 34 of the Framework Law on Public Employment, No. 10159, and is available on the Mideplan website, https://www.empleopublico.mideplan.go.cr.

The definitive global salary applies to all new hires in public employment or according to the transition rules established by Law No. 10159 and its Regulations, specifically for appointments to positions within that classification, starting from the entry into force of the directive. The regulation governs from the date of its publication.

The measure mandates the remuneration of port payrolls under the global salary scheme and closes the door to new hires under the composite salary scheme at INCOP. For the Pacific port sector, the adjustment predefines the cost of each position class and provides certainty for hires and individuals who opt for the LMEP transition rules.

Source: La Gaceta No. 179, Wednesday, September 23, 2026, Executive Branch — Directive, pp. 5-6 (official reference: IN202601125949).