They present economic and social indicators for Puerto Rico

In activity between the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics and the United States Census Bureau

San Juan, Puerto Rico. October 24, 2024. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute, in collaboration with the United States Census Bureau, presented the conference “Economic and Social Indicators on Puerto Rico: Exploring the Economic and Social Reality of Puerto Rico”, in which they examined the main economic and social indicators that impact Puerto Rico. Experts from the United States Census Bureau and the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics presented key issues, such as the cost of living, labor force, community resilience and migratory flow, among others. The activity took place on October 4. “Knowing some of the indicators that reflect the economic and social reality of Puerto Rico is essential for the development of effective public policies. This collaboration with the Census Bureau helps us to have more accurate and reliable data that will help us better understand the challenges and opportunities facing Puerto Rico,” said the executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, Dr. Orville M. Disdier.

For his part, Michael López-Pelliccia, (Chief of Staff, Economic Department) of the United States Census Bureau in Puerto Rico, said that, “The opening of the first Federal Center for Statistical Data Research in Puerto Rico (FSRDC) and events such as this conference are part of an ongoing effort to strengthen technical capacity in Puerto Rico. Through seminars, workshops, and webinars, we seek to provide local people with a more practical and accessible approach to using Census data. This type of technical assistance is key to ensuring that Puerto Rico can make the most of the wealth of information we offer.”

The conference included presentations by experts such as Ana G. Jara Castro, Clara E. Santiago Bello, Javier Gómez and Marijulie Martínez from the United States Census Bureau, who addressed issues such as building permit indicators and the “Census Business Builder” tool, among others. On behalf of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, Dr. Ronald G. Hernández Maldonado presented the Cost of Living Index, while Alberto L. Velázquez Estrada spoke about the migratory flow and the structure of the labor group in Puerto Rico.

Among the various indicators presented at the conference, the following stood out:

• El Quarterly Workforce Indicators which includes 32 labor force indicators that cover employment, job changes and income. This is a single work-level data source that provides demographic information on the labor market.
• The Community Resilience Estimates (CRE), which are modeled estimates of vulnerability factors in the population such as functional diversity, poverty level, access to vehicles and internet, employment, education, and others, combining data from the Community Survey.
• The tool Census Business Builder, which is a customer-focused application. It provides access to data to develop business plans, request financial assistance, study economic development, plan strategies and create emergency plans.
• The Internet page Puerto Rico Profile which links between its tools automated profiles for municipalities with data on employment, poverty, income, education and health, among others.
• The Cost of Living Index (COLI). This reflected in the most recent results for Puerto Rico, that the cost of grocery items in San Juan, Bayamón and Caguas is 12.2% more expensive than the average of the participating urban areas in the United States.
• Regarding the Migratory Flow and Structure of the Working Age Group in Puerto Rico, it was highlighted that emigration has been a constant in the history of Puerto Rico, but this has taken a deep toll on the working population in recent years. About 70% of working-age emigration occurred at ages 16 to 44.

The presentations and materials used during the conference are available through the following link: https://estadisticas.pr/en/Conferencia-Indicadores-Económicos-y-Sociales.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity responsible for coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and have quick and universal access.

For more information you can visit the website: www.estadisticas.pr or write to preguntas@estadisticas.pr. They can also follow social networks through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), X (@EstadisticasPR), LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) and Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) accounts.

Authorized by the Office of the Electoral Comptroller OCE-SA-2024-12788

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The beginning of the recession coincides with the beginning of major emigration in the last decade.

PRESS RELEASE

Statistics Institute publishes new section on economic indicators

The executive director of the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute), Dr. Orville M. Disdier, announced the availability of a new section of some economic indicators on its website, presented through interactive graphics.

“Fulfilling our mission of providing citizens with universal and rapid access to statistics, we created this section that will serve as a reference for government and private enterprise, in economic terms. In the same way, as the section is nourished with new data, it could eventually help outline plans for economic recovery due to COVID-19,” said Disdier.

The section currently has interactive graphics covering the period from March 2017 to May 2020, which will be updated as the Institute receives information from the agencies or entities concerned. The first of them, Puerto Rico Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PRM-PMI), is an indicator that measures the short-term productive side of Puerto Rico's economy, specifically manufacturing, and includes employment indicators, supplier deliveries, inventories, new orders and production.

In the graph, Production and Consumption of Electric Energy in Puerto Rico, information can be obtained from indicators, such as active customers, net generation in millions of kilowatt-hours (mKWh), total consumption (mKWh), cost per kWh purchased, and total income, among others.

Users of the page will also be able to access the graph, Total Non-Agricultural Wage Employment, adjusted and without seasonal adjustment.

In the fourth graph that the section currently has, you can obtain data on the number of initial Unemployment Insurance claims, which they receive at the Department of Labor and Human Resources in Puerto Rico.

The new economic indicators section can be found at www.estadisticas.pr.gov and can be accessed directly at the following Internet address: https://cutt.ly/2uv06YI.

“We call on agencies and the private sector that work with updated data or statistics that impact the Puerto Rico economy, both agriculture, international trade, and goods and services industries (manufacturing, tourism, construction, finance, consumption, among others), to contact us so that we can continue to add economy-related indicators that serve as a reference for decision-making for the well-being of Puerto Rico,” said Ana Gabriela Jara Castro, Manager of Statistical Projects.

About the Institute of Statistics

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity responsible for coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and have quick and universal access.

For more information you can visit the website www.estadisticas.pr.gov or surveys on the social networks of Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico).

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Press Contacts:

Idia Martinez/787-603-3200/ imartinez@upfrontpr.net

Lourdes Burgos/787-562-2932/ lourdesburgos09@gmail.com

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