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Plan: Puerto Rico PYs 2016-2017
Unified Plan U

Section: WIOA State Plan Common Elements

Narrative: II. a. 1. B.

Published
Located in:
  • II. Strategic Elements

    The Unified or Combined State Plan must include a Strategic Planning Elements section that analyzes the State’s current economic environment and identifies the State’s overall vision for its workforce development system. The required elements in this section allow the State to develop data-driven goals for preparing an educated and skilled workforce and to identify successful strategies for aligning workforce development programs. Unless otherwise noted, all Strategic Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs.

II. a. 1. B. Workforce Analysis (B.I - B.IV)

The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an analysis of the current workforce, including individuals with barriers to employment, as defined in section 3 of WIOA.* This population must include individuals with disabilities among other groups** in the State and across regions identified by the State. This includes: Individuals with barriers to employment include displaced homemakers; low-income individuals; Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians; individuals with disabilities, including youth who are individuals with disabilities; older individuals; ex-offenders; homeless individuals, or homeless children and youths; youth who are in or have aged out of the foster care system; individuals who are English language learners, individuals who have low levels of literacy, and individuals facing substantial cultural barriers; farmworkers (as defined at section 167(i) of WIOA and Training and Employment Guidance Letter No. 35-14); individuals within 2 years of exhausting lifetime eligibility under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program; single parents (including single pregnant women); and long-term unemployed individuals. ** Veterans, unemployed workers, and youth, and others that the State may identify.

  • i. Employment and Unemployment

    Provide an analysis of current employment and unemployment data, including labor force participation rates, and trends in the State.

  • ii. Labor Market Trends

    Provide an analysis of key labor market trends, including across existing industries and occupations.
  • iii. Education and Skill Levels of the Workforce

    Provide an analysis of the educational and skill levels of the workforce.

  • iv. Skill Gaps

    Describe apparent ‘skill gaps’.

Current Narrative:

1. Completions by Educational Level FY 2014 were: High school or less, or no formal credential NA: Post–secondary education, less than bachelor’s degree 53,586; Bachelor’s degree or higher 27,468. 2. Occupations requiring by education level in May 2014 were: High school or less, or no formal credential 571,290; Post–secondary education, less than bachelor’s degree 76,430; Bachelor’s degree or higher 255,210. 3. Projected job openings for 2022 by educational level are: High school or less, or no formal credential 271,062; Post–secondary education, less than bachelor’s degree 30,617; Bachelor’s degree or higher 55,864

A skills gap approximation was derived from correlating occupational data (OES estimates for 2014), new and replacement growth (PRDOLHR’s Long–Term Projections 2012–2022) and post–secondary completions (PREC, 2010–2014), via cross–walking two–digit CIP Codes to SOC Codes, purging duplicates and weighing against projected job openings. An estimation of the projected gap between post–secondary completions and projected openings was reached for 2012–2022, as shown below:

Next breakdown shows statistic of Postsecondary Skills and Occupations Gap Estimation, 2014–2022 (Source: PRDOLHR, Long–Term Projections, 2010–2022; OES, 2014; CEPR–PLEDUC, 2013–2014) Occupation title: Education attainment: Lag Surplus 1) Managers, All Other: Bachelor’s degree: –12,576 2) Accountants and Auditors: Bachelor’s degree: –5,270 3) Heavy and Tractor–Trailer Truck Drivers: Postsecondary nondegree award: –3,733 4) Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education: Bachelor’s degree: –3,127 5) Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks:Some college, no degree:–2,420 6) Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education:Bachelor’s degree:–1,913 7) General and Operations Managers:Bachelor’s degree:–1,595 8) Financial Managers:Bachelor’s degree:–937 9) Library Technicians:Postsecondary nondegree award:–837 10) Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other:Master’s degree:–717 11) Teacher Assistants:Some college, no degree:44,777 12) Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses:Postsecondary nondegree award:37,106 13) Dental Assistants:Postsecondary nondegree award:19,018 14) Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics:Postsecondary nondegree award:18,039 15) Skincare Specialists:Postsecondary nondegree award:16,536 16) Medical Records and Health Information Technicians:Postsecondary nondegree award:15,769 17) Vocational Education Teachers, Postsecondary:Bachelor’s degree:13,584 18) Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping:Associate’s degree:10,241 19) Funeral Service Managers:Associate’s degree:9,406 20) Occupational Health and Safety Specialists:Bachelor’s degree:8,829 Due to outmigration trends, a study commissioned by the PRDH set out to estimate the needs for physicians. The study (The Demand and Supply of Physicians in Puerto Rico: historical trends and forecasting 2013 to 2019), forecasted no shortage of physicians between 2016 and 2019, but instead a surplus of 601 physicians. In terms of Primary Care Physicians, the forecasted values would result in a surplus of 283 for the period. The difference between the number of new professional licenses issued and the number of completions in related major instructional programs might reflect the pattern in certain occupations which historically have had a significant share of students accessing higher education in other States.