Struggling to Fill Jobs, U.S. Employers Look to Storm-Battered Puerto Rico

Faced with worker shortages, employers are trying to lure Puerto Rico residents to the mainland with the promise of jobs for many on the island devastated by Hurricane Maria.

The Department of Corrections in South Carolina began billboard advertisements in Puerto Rico to hire correctional officers, noting “Relocation Assistance Available.” The department has more than 650 such openings. Director Bryan Stirling is hoping to lure candidates with the promise of decent pay—$35,000 a year, plus overtime—and benefits.

Bayada Home Health Care, which struggles to fill in-home care positions in 22 states, also set its sights on the island, which has a bounty of health-care workers and an economy reeling from recession. Since Bayada began running Facebook ads in December targeting Puerto Ricans on the island, nearly 700 have responded, a rate triple the average for the company’s recruitment drives, said Carolina Lobo, chief marketing officer at the company.

“The response was so overwhelming that we had to stop the social marketing,” she said.

With the U.S. unemployment rate at a 17-year low of 4.1%, employers are straining to hire everyone from carpenters to engineers. But in Puerto Rico, where the unemployment rate is 10.8%, many businesses remain closed due to lack of electricity or have trimmed workforces because of depleted demand. So workers are seeking opportunity elsewhere.

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