[19][20] Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses and has one of the highest growth rates and per capita incomes in Latin America.

Economic growth reached 12.6% in 2006 and 5.5% in 2007 as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and LNG remained high, and as foreign direct investment continued to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy sector.

Improvements in transport, telephone service, drainage, and sewerage, especially in rural areas, are among the government's budget priorities.

The Central Bank predicted real GDP growth in Trinidad and Tobago of 2.6% in 2014, up from 1.6% in 2013, as the country's energy sector recovered from maintenance delays that reduced activity in the third quarter of 2013.

[22] In addition the thriving energy sector, the nation controls 0.25%[23] of the world's natural gas with a GDP of twenty billion US dollars (US$20.5b).

[24] These factors are quintessential in driving the demand for quality labor, especially in specialized area as it pertains to the energy sector.

According to former Prime Minister Patrick Manning,[25] the nation is the financial capital of the Caribbean, and being so heavily reliant on the oil and energy sectors, fosters and facilitates an environment of constant demand for specialized jobs.

Recruitment on the whole in Trinidad and Tobago have experienced huge strides, from the traditional snail mail to company's emails and job boards.

Local experts have mentioned that moving forward in such a small area is a big tool to in executing and rolling out macro plans smoothly.

[citation needed] The European Union Council on Tourism and Trade (EUCTT) has also awarded the nation as being "The Best Tourist Destination for 2012".

Local hotels have already begun to make plans to facilitate an influx of European tourists upon the nation receiving this designation.

The number of international tourists worldwide grew by 5% (22 million) between January and June 2012, with Asia and the Pacific (+8%) leading the growth among the regions.

The TSA is a detailed production account of the tourism sector showing its linkages to major industries, total employment, capital formation and additional macro-economic variables.

[30] Most visitors arriving to Trinidad and Tobago on short-term basis in 2014 were from the following countries of nationality:[31] Recently, the country's economy has been negatively affected by fluctuating oil and gas prices and in an effort to undergo economic transformation through diversification, the government has identified the creative industries, particularly the music, film and fashion sectors, as pivotal to long-term economic sustainability.

As such, the Trinidad and Tobago Creative Industries Company Limited (CreativeTT) was established in 2013 to oversee the strategic and business development of the three niche areas of film, fashion and music.

Currency: 1 Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TT$) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TT$) per US$1 : 6.7283 (2017) 6.6152 (2016) 6.3298 (2015) 6.3613 (2014) 6.3885 (2013) 6.3716 (2012) 6.4200 (2011 est) 6.3337 (2010) 6.3099 (2009) 6.2896 (2008) 6.3275 (2007) 6.3107 (2006) 6.2842 (2005), 6.2990 (2004), 6.2951 (2003), 6.2487 (2002), 6.2332 (2001), 6.2697 (2000), 6.2963 (1999), 6.2983 (1998), 6.2517 (1997), 6.0051 (1996), 5.9478 (1995) Stock of direct foreign investment – at home: $12.44 billion (2007) Stock of direct foreign investment – abroad: $1.419 billion (2007) Market value of publicly traded shares: $15.57 billion (2006) Fiscal year: 1 October – 30 September ^These three form the SSS islands that with the ABC islands comprise the Dutch Caribbean, of which *the BES islands are not direct Kingdom constituents but subsumed with the country of the Netherlands.