Una encuesta muestra una tendencia neta de contratación de 12% para el primer trimestre en Puerto Rico.
ManpowerGroup survey shows 58% of companies are working to reduce wage gaps.
The latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey (MEOS) from ManpowerGroup reports a seasonally adjusted net hiring trend of 12% for Puerto Rico in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, a 1 percentage point decrease from the previous quarter.
Melissa Rivera-Roena, general manager for ManpowerGroup in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, explained that while hiring expectations have decreased, there is growing awareness of gender equality in the workplace. The survey revealed that 44% of companies have achieved gender equality and that 58% are actively working to reduce wage gaps.
“Since last year, we have seen a net downward trend that can be explained by the fact that in 2023 there were extraordinary [hiring] peaks, and what can be observed now is a stabilization,” Rivera-Roena said. “It is important to highlight that most of the employers surveyed plan to make no changes or even increase their workforce this quarter, in addition to the fact that there is a trend toward greater awareness of gender equality issues.”
The survey included responses from 500 employers in Puerto Rico. Compared to the first quarter of 2023, when hiring expectations were at -21%, the current outlook shows significant improvement.
Rivera-Roena noted that 38% of employers plan no workforce changes, 35% expect to increase staff, 23% plan reductions, and 4% remain uncertain about hiring between January and March.
Hiring intentions are strongest in the San Juan metropolitan area, with a 28% net hiring outlook, followed by the southern region at 18% and the eastern region at 17%. In contrast, the central region shows the weakest hiring intentions at -22%, with the northern and western regions reporting -5% and -3%, respectively.
Rivera-Roena added that the economic sectors with the most positive hiring expectations are information technology at 43%; transportation, logistics and automotive at 25%; manufacturing at 24%; health sciences at 16%, and other industries at 15%
The lowest hiring expectations were reported in finance and real estate at 12%, consumer goods and services at 6%, telecommunications at -8%, and energy at -30%.
When breaking down by company size, the best hiring prospects are among the largest companies, or those with more than 5,000 employees, and the smallest, with fewer than 10 employees. Hiring intentions for companies with 50 to 249 employees stood at 20%, followed by 18% for those with 10 to 49 employees, and 10% for companies with 250 to 999 employees. The weakest outlook was reported by companies with 1,000 to 4,999 employees, at -24%.
Alberto Alesi, ManpowerGroup’s general director for Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, stated, “The changes or adjustments that are established in public economic and labor policy in the United States and Puerto Rico could affect employers’ hiring both this quarter and in the future the rest of the year.”
Globally, India leads with the highest hiring expectations at 40%, followed by the United States at 34% and Mexico at 32%. The weakest hiring outlooks were reported in Argentina at -1%, Hong Kong at 6%, and Israel at 8%.
When asked about the progress on gender equality on the island, Rivera-Roena noted that 44% of employers said they had fully achieved the goal, compared to 36% last year. An additional 33% said they were very close to achieving it, 13% said progress was reasonable but still far off and 7% said they were far from reaching the goal.
The survey also showed that 58% of organizations believe they are on the right path to reducing the wage gap between men and women.
