Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
Fri May 11, 2018, 10:10 AM May 2018

Puerto Ricans are leaving their storm-ravaged island in search of work - & companies are recruiting

The Skilled Worker Exodus

Puerto Ricans are leaving their storm-ravaged island in search of work – and companies are recruiting them.

By Susan Milligan Senior WriterMay 11, 2018, at 6:00 a.m.

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — To job-seekers in a place that has double-digit unemployment, severe damage from two punishing, back-to-back hurricanes, and an ongoing fiscal crisis, the advertised jobs look awfully appealing. There's "competitive compensation," health insurance, life insurance, tuition assistance, a 401(k), free meals and a $1,000 bonus, in two installments, if you stick with it a year. But the jobs aren't on what locals proudly call "La Isla Del Encanto" (Isle of Enchantment). They're in Cincinnati, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and other faraway locales. And while the jobs themselves – working in food service at U.S. airports and in highway rest stops – might not be glamorous, they are still a step up for Puerto Ricans desperate for reliable work and worried that their battered island home might not recover enough, or in enough time, to provide a future for themselves and their children.

"This is perfect for a person who has to start from zero," says Amos Torres, 34, as he attended a job fair by HMSHost, the world's largest provider of food and beverage services for travelers. Torres loves his home, but "the environment is not good, so I'm looking for new opportunities," adds the San Juan resident, who worked at a shop in historic Old San Juan before it was destroyed by Hurricane Maria last year. He now works as a line cook at a Dave & Buster's, where he's paid $8.75 an hour and offered 20-30 hours a week. The hurricane, fiscal crisis and his frustrations with the current Puerto Rican government have made Torres ready to move.

HMSHost is among a slew of employers, both public and private, who have come looking for workers in Puerto Rico. School districts, police departments, medical facilities, landscaping companies and hospitality industry firms have come calling here for recruits. It can benefit both sides: U.S. employers find people who are bilingual, may have family on the mainland, and – because Puerto Ricans are American citizens – do not require a hard-to-get work visa.

And for Puerto Rican job-seekers? "Its a good chance for people," says Fanny Morales, assistant regional human resources director for HMSHost. "They already know people who are leaving [the island] anyway. They're now given the opportunity to leave with a job."

The problem, experts here say, is that Puerto Rico is in danger of losing one of its most critical assets, its skilled workforce, at a time when the island is in dire need of rebuilding. Teachers are leaving for more secure jobs on the mainland, a predictable outcome after the cash-strapped government announced it would close some 200 schools. Police, thousands of whom called in sick daily last year because they were not being paid overtime, are finding brighter futures in cities eager to find trained, bilingual officers.

more
https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2018-05-11/skilled-workers-are-leaving-puerto-rico-in-droves
1 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Puerto Ricans are leaving their storm-ravaged island in search of work - & companies are recruiting (Original Post) DonViejo May 2018 OP
And the economic vultures continue to circle.. disillusioned73 May 2018 #1
 

disillusioned73

(2,872 posts)
1. And the economic vultures continue to circle..
Fri May 11, 2018, 10:27 AM
May 2018

the island will never be the same again.. it hurts my heart..

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Puerto Ricans are leaving...