The U.S. Department of Labor awarded Monday approximately $64.3 million to 38 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia to implement or continue re-employment and eligibility assessments for individuals who receive unemployment benefits.
Puerto Rico’s unemployment rate dropped to 13.7 percent in April, reaching the lowest level since 2008. However, Labor Department data released Thursday also shows that the island’s labor force decreased by 10,000 to 1.1 million last month, when compared to the prior month and by 31,000 year-over-year.
Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division that found violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime and record-keeping provisions, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico has agreed to pay more than $35 million in back wages and interest to 4,490 current and former employees of the territory’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
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