Puerto Rico unemployment rate holds steady at 5.7%
Puerto Rico’s labor market showed little change in October, with the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate holding steady at 5.7% for a second consecutive month, according to the Labor Group Survey released by the Department of Labor and Human Resources.
The rate was 0.3 percentage point higher than in October 2024, when unemployment stood at 5.4%. Despite the year-over-year increase, labor officials said the data points to stable conditions across key employment indicators throughout the year.
“The report reaffirms the stability of the island’s labor market and validates the consistency of the results recorded during the year,” said Labor Secretary María del Pilar Vélez-Casanova.
“This information is key to supporting the working class, fostering economic activity and promoting the sustainable development of Puerto Rico,” she said.
The seasonally unadjusted labor force participation rate edged up to 44.6% in October from 44.5% in September. Compared with October 2024, however, the participation rate was down 0.1 percentage point, from 44.7%.
The number of unemployed individuals remained unchanged at 71,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis. The total labor force was estimated at 1,239,000 people in October, down by 1,000 from the previous month but up by 8,000 from a year earlier.
Employment levels were also largely unchanged. An estimated 1,169,000 people were employed in October, the same as in September. Compared with October 2024, employment increased by about 4,000 workers.
The department said the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is continuing its review of the October Nonfarm Payroll Employment Survey and will release the data once the evaluation is complete.
