Survey: Puerto Rico ranks 5th globally in net hiring growth

Melissa Rivera Roena, general manager of ManpowerGroup Puerto Rico

By The Star Staff

The most recent ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey indicates that Puerto Rico ranks fifth in the world for net hiring growth compared to last year’s data.

Melissa Rivera Roena, the general manager of ManpowerGroup Puerto Rico, announced Tuesday that the net hiring growth for the third quarter of the year (July to September) is 18%, which represents an increase of four percentage points compared to the previous quarter (January to March 2025) and a rise of 10 percentage points compared to the same period in 2024.

She noted that the survey revealed Israel (13%) had the highest increase in hiring expectations compared to 2024, followed by India (12%), Sweden (12%), Chile (11%) and Puerto Rico. However, when compared to the previous quarter, Puerto Rico ranks 25th.

“In 2024, Puerto Rico showed a downward trend in hiring expectations compared to 2023. The first quarter of 2025 and the one about to begin indicate an upward trend, positioning the island as a driver of development in strategic areas,” Rivera Roena said in a statement.

She pointed out that for the July to September period, 31% of employers indicated they plan to hire new employees, 52% do not plan any changes, 14% expect to reduce their workforce, and 4% were uncertain.

Rivera Roena also noted that the most active labor markets are expected in the South (33%) and North (24%) regions. The West and Central regions both have an expectation of 21%, followed by the East (16%) and the San Juan Metro area (9%).

Positive hiring expectations are anticipated across most economic sectors. The energy sector is the most competitive on the island, with an employment forecast of 39%, followed by life sciences and healthcare (35%), manufacturing (30%), and information technology (23%). The finance and real estate sectors have the lowest expectations at 11%, with consumer goods and services at 0%, and communication services at -3%.

Regarding company size, the survey revealed that organizations with 1,000 to 4,999 employees have the most optimistic expectations for the next quarter, at 35%. Those with more than 5,000 employees reported 19%, a 49% increase over the previous quarter. Companies with 250 to 999 employees reported a 24% increase, while those with 50 to 249 employees saw a 27% increase. Small businesses with 10 to 49 employees reported a 17% increase, whereas microenterprises reported a -13% change.

Vialys Rivera Ruiz, account director for ManpowerGroup Puerto Rico, said that when employers were asked about their main reasons for increasing their workforce, they cited business expansion and maintaining competitiveness (13% each), specific projects (34%), and new investments (29%). On the other hand, those expecting to reduce employees indicated economic changes (29%), market changes (28%), and automation leading to job reductions (26% each) as their main reasons.

“Despite the global context, positive hiring prospects are expected for Puerto Rico, showing significant improvement compared to previous quarters, especially in relation to last year,” Rivera Ruiz said.

Rivera Ruiz noted that Puerto Rico ranks 15th globally among countries reporting workforce expansion to meet the demands of technological advances, with 26%, alongside France, Canada and Japan. The global average for this metric is 24%.

The sectors expected to experience the most significant changes due to automation in the next five years include administration, customer service, information and data technology, sales and marketing, and operations and logistics, all at 81%. This is followed by engineering (79%); sustainability, consulting and governance (78%); human resources (77%); and manufacturing and production (75%).

When asked about the impact of global trade uncertainty on their hiring decisions, 30% of employers stated that it has a very high impact, 45% indicated a moderate impact, 19% felt it had little impact, 5% said it had no impact, and 1% were uncertain.