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.

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Statistics Institute releases data that for the first time make it possible to compare the cost of living in Puerto Rico with 300 other urban and rural areas in the United States

PRESS RELEASE
DR. MARIO MARAZZI‐SANTIAGO
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

February 15, 2018

AUTHORIZED STATEMENTS BY DR. MARIO MARAZZI-SANTIAGO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PUERTO RICO INSTITUTE OF STATISTICS, ON COMMUNICATION FROM THE FISCAL OVERSIGHT BOARD TO THE GOVERNOR REGARDING THE REORGANIZATION OF THE STATISTICAL FUNCTIONS OF THE PUERTO RICAN GOVERNMENT

We appreciate the statements of the Fiscal Oversight Board regarding the desirability of maintaining the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute as a public instrument, independent and separate from the Government of Puerto Rico.

In addition, the Board made several recommendations, some of which we wish to comment on. In the first instance, he proposed modernizing and updating Puerto Rico's statistical functions and consolidating them into the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute. We share the concern of the Board and the Government that the fragmentation of statistical functions results in costly and ineffective processes. We are under orders from the Government to design a reorganization plan dedicated to statistical functions that achieve this objective. It's never too late to start working together, collaboratively, to achieve shared and desired goals.

Second, the Board joined the expressions of the bipartisan congressional Task Force of Puerto Rico, also created under the federal PROMESA Act, to the effect that the Institute must be allocated a larger budget, aligned with the important responsibilities it exercises. This recommendation represents an extraordinary opportunity for the Government to comply, for the first time, with the budgetary allocation approved for the Institute in its Organic Law.

Third, the Board recommended that the Institute's independence be protected from political intervention. This is an extremely sensitive issue that every Government we have worked with has had to confront, know, understand, process, accept and eventually take advantage of. At the moment, the Institute oversees the statistical work of the Executive Branch. In any other area, oversight functions would not be allowed to be disrupted. For example, one of the baseball teams would never be allowed to choose or change or influence the referee of a game. Why do we think with statistics that we can, should and is it even normal?

We all suffer from the same disinformation after decades of politicized and underfunded deterioration of the statistical functions of the Government of Puerto Rico. Finally, for 10 years we have had a new instrument, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute, whose main purpose is to pave the way to complete, reliable statistics with fast and universal access. Let's take advantage of it.

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Press Contact: Sandra Morales Blanes (787) 688-0401

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