Jobs in San Juan down 7.3% Y-O-Y in Sept. ’20, Bureau of Labor Statistics says
Employment in Puerto Rico’s only large county, the municipality of San Juan, decreased 7.3% from September 2019 to September 2020, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics confirmed. Large counties are defined as those with 2019 annual average employment of 75,000 or more.
Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that in September 2020, San Juan’s employment level of 223,600 accounted for 26.9% of total employment in the Commonwealth.
National employment decreased 6.8% during the mentioned period, with 355 of the 357 largest US counties (not including San Juan) reporting declines.
The average weekly wage in San Juan was $669 in the third quarter of 2020, a 4.7% increase year-over-year. In the US mainland, the average weekly wage increased 7.4% to $1,173. Among the 357 largest counties in the United States, 350 had year-over-year wage increases, the Bureau confirmed.
Nationally, the increases in average weekly wages “largely reflect substantial employment loss among lower-paid industries,” the agency noted. “Employment declines occurring in some higher-paid industries also featured significant wage increases.”
Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 77 municipalities in Puerto Rico with employment below 75,000. All 77 municipalities had wages below the US average of $1,173.
The town of Juncos had the highest average weekly wage at $912. Two small municipalities, located in the northern part of the island, had average weekly wages above $600—Guaynabo ($678) and Aguadilla ($611). Twenty-six municipalities had average weekly wages below $400, with the lowest wages reported in Cabo Rojo ($326), Moca ($311), and Las Marías ($295).
Of the 33,900 jobs in the neighboring US Virgin Islands, 16,800 were on St. Thomas, and 15,800 were on St. Croix, where third-quarter average weekly wages were $899 and $1,171, respectively.
