Pay equity report reveals persistent wage gap in Puerto Rico
Despite increased female workforce participation, wage disparity between persists.
The Puerto Rico Labor and Human Resources Department recently presented the results of the first Pay Equity Report, which highlights that women’s labor force participation rate increased from 33% to 38% between 2017 and 2023. However, the wage disparity between women and men persists and even widened after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2019, women earned 92 cents for every dollar earned by men; by 2023, this decreased to 83 cents. Although standardizing quarterly wages reduces the gap, the trend persists. Between 2019 and 2023, men’s median wages increased by 15%, while women’s wages rose by only 2%.
In 2023, average salaries were $19,456 for women and $23,537 for men, a $4,081 difference. Median salaries were $12,716 for women and $15,577 for men, showing a $2,861 gap. Higher income levels see even greater disparities, with fewer women earning $40,000 or more.
The findings were announced by Labor Secretary Gabriel Maldonado-González, Women Who Lead CEO Frances Ríos and Abexus LLC CEO Kevin González during the Reset HR Puerto Rico Summit, a Labor Department event where leaders and experts discussed strategies and tools to optimize HR management, as well as techniques to improve the performance and organizational culture of companies.
During the discussion “Closing the Gap: New Perspectives on Pay Equity,” Maldonado-González stated: “In Puerto Rico, as in many other jurisdictions, there is still a disparity between the wages earned by women and men for performing the same job. The legal mandate in favor of pay equity has existed for decades, and while we acknowledge that many employers do the right thing, there is still a long way to go.
“More than just a statistical report, the idea is that this first Pay Equity Report will serve as a public policy tool to help highlight, understand and promote better practices at the government, private sector and academia levels to eradicate this form of employment discrimination.”
The panelists shared the report’s key findings, which will be made public on the Labor Department’s website and social media channels next week.
Training on HR and attracting talent
Employers and HR professionals from the private sector received educational workshops during the summit. One session was led by Ilia Rodríguez, president of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Puerto Rico Chapter, who shared tactics for retaining human capital to improve company productivity.
Alessandra Correa, founder of the social enterprise INprende, highlighted what companies should do to attract high-potential candidates and position themselves as the preferred option in the job market.
Meanwhile, Roselyn Rivera, People and Culture director at the accounting and business advisory firm Kevane Grant Thornton, discussed nontraditional benefits and how these incentives can benefit both the company and work environment.
Furthermore, digital marketing expert and co-founder of Gali Digital, Lara Caride, demonstrated the virtues of the professional social network LinkedIn. She provided recommendations for maximizing the platform’s use by creating attractive profiles, content to attract talent and positioning companies as leaders in their respective industries.
Finally, Karla Ramos-Maysonet, labor psychologist at the Labor Department, introduced employers to the Employment and Recruitment Portal for Facilitating Labor Integration (Perfil, in Spanish). This artificial intelligence-driven job search tool connects job seekers with employers and allows companies to post vacancies, evaluate and recruit candidates, all in one place.
