The Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources announced that the island’s unemployment rate stood at 8.3 percent in December 2018, reflecting a decrease of 2.7 percent versus December 2017. Labor Secretary Carlos Saavedra further said the workforce participation rate rose to 40.8 percent in December, while 15,000 more jobs were reported in comparison […]
Liberty Latin America has reached a settlement agreement with its third-party insurance provider for $108.5 million in net damages related to Hurricanes Irma and María last year, the company confirmed. The gross amount agreed to in December 2018 totaled $138.5 million, but Liberty deducted $30 million in self-insurance from the total amount. “We have received […]
Puerto Rico’s new car sales received a significant boost last year, when a total of 107,941 units sold, compared to the 84,080 units sold in 2017, representing a 28.4 percent increase. However, the United Automobile Importers Group, known as GUIA for its initials in Spanish, predicted that this year, the industry will see a reduction […]
The Puerto Rico Public Private Partnership Authority announced the selection of four proponents that have the necessary experience to manage and operate all aspects of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s electricity distribution and transmission system. P3 Authority Executive Director Omar Marrero confirmed the qualified proponents: Duke Energy Corporation; Exelon Corporation; PSEG Services Corporation; and […]
Washington, DC – The U.S. House of Representatives has approved two proposals authored by Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) aimed at assisting Puerto Rico, as the island continues recovering from economic hardship and historically catastrophic hurricanes. The amendments were approved as part of H.R. 268, a supplemental spending bill that appropriates additional funding for disaster […]
The Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, where JetBlue is the largest airline to both islands, benefit from tourist spending of more than $1 billion per year — revenue that is directly linked to healthy coral reefs. Furthermore, the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico receive more than one million visitors per year whose visits are […]
Evertec Inc. announced that it is one of 230 companies selected for the 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), which distinguishes companies committed to transparency in gender reporting and advancing women’s equality. “We’re proud to be included in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, representing the first company in Puerto Rico among the 36 countries and regions […]
Recent discussions of Puerto Rico’s debt levels by both Puerto Rico officials and the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico represent that the island’s per capita debt levels are far higher than the average per capita levels of mainland states in the U.S. mainland. However, that analysis compares only state-level debt and ignores […]
By Mc Nelly Torres | Center for Investigative Journalism Johnny Santana moved to Puerto Rico in the early 1990s in search of a better life than the one he had in his hometown of Higüey in the Dominican Republic. He worked in construction, as a cook, and later delivering vegetables to restaurants, a job he’s […]
Foundation for Puerto Rico has signed an agreement with the Department of Housing to lead the coordination of the Whole Community Resilience Planning Program, the nonprofit announced. As part of the first phase, FPR is building a multisectoral working group that will include key government, community, non-government and nonprofit organizations in Puerto Rico that have […]
World Central Kitchen Puerto Rico unveiled an integral support platform to promote sustainable agriculture projects on the island, called “Plow to Plate.” The program, supported by World Central Kitchen — a nonprofit, non-governmental organization dedicated to fighting world hunger and poverty founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés — offers financial support and training to […]
After three years of abandonment, the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and Teniente César González has a renewed purpose with the inauguration of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen’s 17th restaurant in Puerto Rico. The 3,000 square-foot restaurant known for its Cajun-style cooking, is generating a mix of 50 full- and part-time jobs, and entailed an investment of $3.5 […]
The Special Claims Committee of the Financial Oversight Board for Puerto Rico announced that it and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in Puerto Rico’s debt restructuring have filed an objection to more than $6 billion of Puerto Rico’s bonded debt. The objection asserts that the invalid debt was issued in clear violation of the […]
Nonprofit organization Espacios Abiertos exposed a number of “suspicious elements” of the proposed agreement to restructure the Puerto Rico Sales Tax Financing Corporation (known as COFINA by its initials in Spanish) debt, which U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain will review this week. “We said it last year and we stand by it today,” […]
As part of its strategy to offer “modern and innovative” facilities for its clients, Popular announced the consolidation of its auto and leasing services at the former Doral building on Roosevelt Ave., the financial institution announced. Effective Jan. 19, the Popular Auto customer service division formerly located at Popular’s Altamira location, and Reliable Auto, formerly […]
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