By The Star Staff
Employers in Puerto Rico experience the least difficulty in finding employees to fill vacant positions among an array of countries and jurisdictions that participated in ManpowerGroup’s 2025 Global Talent Shortage Survey.
Melissa Rivera Roena, ManpowerGroup’s general manager in Puerto Rico, said in a statement earlier this week that the survey, which included respondents from 42 countries, found the highest talent shortages in Germany (86%), Israel (85%) and Portugal (84%). In contrast, Colombia (59%), Poland (59%) and Puerto Rico (53%) rank as the places with the lowest talent shortages.
The global average for talent shortage is 74%, with nearly three out of four employers worldwide reporting challenges in finding the necessary talent. That figure has doubled since 2014, when it was just 36%.
However, Puerto Rico has seen a decline in talent shortages over the past two years. In 2023, the island ranked fifth internationally, with 83% of employers reporting difficulties filling positions. Last year, Puerto Rico was ranked 17th globally, with 78% of employers facing challenges in finding talent.
“The survey presents an encouraging picture that helps explain the low unemployment rate,” Rivera Roena said. “It indicates there is still some difficulty in finding employees, but the challenges in filling existing positions have lessened compared to the previous two years.”
The survey involved 40,000 employers globally, who answered three key questions regarding their hiring difficulties: how easy or hard it is to fill positions compared to the previous year, which roles are most challenging to fill and why, and what actions they are taking to address the talent shortage.
Rivera Roena highlighted that the positions facing the greatest challenges in talent shortages include roles in customer satisfaction, sales and marketing, consulting, risk and governance (ESG), operations and logistics, and environmental skills.
She noted that the sectors experiencing the most talent shortages in Puerto Rico are life sciences and health (71%), consumer goods and services (66%), and manufacturing (62%). In contrast, sectors with the least talent shortages include information technology (24%) and energy and communication services (34% each).
Medium-sized companies (50-249 employees) report the most difficulty in finding talent, with 66% facing challenges. They are followed by micro-enterprises (fewer than 10 employees) at 58%. Large companies (250-5,000 employees) encounter fewer issues, with 47%, and small companies (10-49 employees) have a difficulty rate of 52%.
Employers in Puerto Rico have found flexible work hours to be the most effective measure for filling positions, with 26% reporting success with this strategy. Other measures include retraining employees (22%) and increasing salaries or offering temporary employment (21% each). Additional strategies employed include offering flexible job locations (20%), utilizing artificial intelligence to optimize workforce needs (18%), and reducing academic requirements (16%).
Alberto Alesi, the general director of ManpowerGroup for Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America, commented on the positive trends reflected in the survey data for Puerto Rico.
“It is encouraging to see that Puerto Rico is overcoming challenges in finding talent to fill vacancies, which positively impacts the economy,” he said. “I encourage employers to continue pursuing efforts in this direction.”
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