The number of post-secondary graduates in creative disciplines is decreasing

According to the Puerto Rico Creative Industries Report 2020 from the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

April 21, 2023. A decline in the number of post-secondary graduates in creative disciplines is part of the data presented in the Creative Industries Report in Puerto Rico 2020 published by the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics. This report collects social, economic and labor indicators for the development of creative industries in Puerto Rico. In this sixth edition, in addition to multiple economic and demographic indicators, post-secondary education indicators are included as a means of establishing a profile on the input of human capital to this commercial and industrial sector.

“The year 2020 was one where all economic and social activities were affected by isolation measures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The creative industries were no exception,” said Dr. Francisco Pesante, lead author of the study, who explained that, for this reason, this report shows, among others, data related to post-secondary graduates in creative disciplines that totaled 1,963 people, which represents a decrease compared to previous years (2,210 in 2019; 2,453 in 2018).

The Puerto Rico Creative Industries Report 2020 details the following aspects: Number of graduates by level of post-secondary education; Number of establishments by number of employees; Number of registered establishments by industrial sector; Number of registered employees and distribution by sex by Creative Industry; Average annual wage by specific industry; Average annual salary of some creative occupations per year; Ratio of creative establishments per population in municipalities and Value of imports and exports of creative industries.

The scope of this report, Pesante reported, is limited to data sets where standardized industrial or occupational coding systems are used. As for economic indicators, the data handled are limited to establishments with people on the payroll. Therefore, this report does not include data on people who are self-employed, nor does it include data on people who work voluntarily or did not report their creative activities as their main source of income.

As a summary, the Puerto Rico Creative Industries Report 2020 presents the following data:

1. Post-secondary graduates in creative disciplines totaled 1,963 people. Graphic Design (14.7%), Computer Science (12.3%) and Digital Graphic Design (11.3%) were the disciplines with the highest number of graduates.
2. The total number of creative establishments ranged from 1,844, according to U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns (CBP) and 2,019 establishments according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages). 67.3% correspond to establishments with 1 to 4 employees (CBP). In this area, companies dedicated to Computer System Design (10.3%), Advertising Agencies (9.8%) and Computer Programming Services (9.3%) dominated.
3. The number of employees in creative industries totaled 15,818, mainly employed as Computer Programming Services (15.9%), Computer Systems Design (14.1%) and Newspaper Publishing (11.0%).
4. The profession with the most equitable distribution by sex was the Souvenir, Gift or Novelty Stores sector (with 54.6% occupied by women and 45.4% by men).
5. The highest average salaries were reported by Software Publishing occupations ($151,073). As for average salaries for creative occupations, the maximum value corresponds to Architects, except landscape designers ($52,990), while the minimum wage includes library assistants ($18,920).
6. At the island level, Puerto Rico registered a rate of 6.13 establishments dedicated to creative activities, per 10,000 inhabitants. Seven municipalities did not register establishments with people on the payroll, dedicated to creative activities. The municipality with the lowest rate per 10,000 inhabitants was Loíza with 0.42, while San Juan had the highest concentration, with 24.7 establishments per 10,000 inhabitants.
7. The value of imports of goods classified under the creative sectors exceeded exports, with a negative trade balance of $184,870.354 million for Puerto Rico.

Dr. Orville M. Disdier, Executive Director, explained that the main objective of this report is to offer both the government of Puerto Rico and all citizens a tool to enrich knowledge about the creative economy in Puerto Rico and thus promote the economic development of this sector. “Through the Creative Industries Report 2020, we can understand the economic value of creativity and innovation in Puerto Rico. Having these data and statistics is crucial for economic development and for harnessing the full potential of creative industries in Puerto Rico's recovery and growth.”

The Puerto Rico Creative Industries Report 2020 is available at: Creative Industries 2020

You can also access a Dashboard, where some of the data presented in this report are collected, through the following link https://bit.ly/3UPckEd.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is a governmental entity in the executive branch, with fiscal and administrative autonomy, whose main purpose is to ensure that Puerto Rico has complete, reliable statistics that are quickly and universally accessible. To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr. On social media through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

‍

‍

Statistics Institute launches new version of its Internet portal

Statistics Institute launches subscription system to offer recent statistical products

The service is free of charge

Current statistics, is the new official registry of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics to provide, through a subscription system, recent statistical products to citizens. Subscribers of Current statistics they will receive relevant data directly to their emails on specific topics in which they indicated that they had an interest. In this way, they will have up-to-date information on preferred data, whether for work, study, business or general interest purposes.

Through this system, whose registration process is quick and simple, subscribers will select the topics of interest on which they want to receive updated data once they are available. The Institute will also share with subscribers updated information that is considered to be of interest to the subscriber community. The subscription service to Current statistics it's free, but interested parties must register through the following link: Subscriptions.

“This new service allows us to continue to make the data and statistical products generated by the Institute accessible to all people. In the same way, it is an excellent tool to continue educating about the importance of statistics, since eventually subscribers will have exclusive access to Current statistics vlog, in which educational information, novel and relevant to the field of statistics, will be published,” said Dr. Orville M. Disdier Flores, Executive Director of the Institute.

The service, as reported, is aimed at anyone interested in obtaining statistical data such as researchers, health professionals, statisticians, teachers, demographers, journalists, university students, human behavior professionals, public servants, among others.

All statistical products produced or published by the Statistics Institute are available at www.estadisticas.pr. However, subscribers to Current Statistics will have the advantage of receiving direct notifications to their email about the most recent data produced or published by the Institute.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is a governmental entity in the executive branch, with fiscal and administrative autonomy, whose main purpose is to ensure that Puerto Rico has complete, reliable statistics that are quickly and universally accessible. To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook accounts (@statistics.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) and LinkedIn (Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics).

‍