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Puerto Rico Unemployment Insurance Update

January 4th, 2007 Posted by Mark

When it comes to the unemployment system in the territory of Puerto Rico, we’re talking some stand out factoids when it comes to the other unemployment benefit systems that we have seen across the United States.

For instance, did you know that in Puerto Rico, the range of qualifying wages for the maximum total potential benefit is the lowest—at $6080. The range of qualifying wages for the maximum total potential is the figure that comes out of the maximum weekly benefit amount that workers can earn from being on unemployment insurance in a week multiplied by the maximum potential number of weeks that the worker can remain on unemployment benefits before the Puerto Rico unemployment insurance system stops the payments.

That makes sense when you consider that in Puerto Rico in 2000, to take a recent year with reliable figures, the maximum weekly benefits that workers could receive when they are unemployed is the lowest of all of the U.S.-based systems—at $133. Puerto Rico though allows these payments to be made out for one of the longest periods of time, which is 26 weeks in total. There are 51 unemployment benefits systems that allow this duration period before they cut off benefits, including Puerto Rico, Washington DC, and the Virgin Islands.

Now because Puerto Rico has such a low weekly allowance level, does that mean employers should take a lesser approach to dealing with the unemployment insurance system? Should they follow the rules of the Puerto Rico unemployment system any less closely than they would in another state. That is not for me to answer. I am not an employer in Puerto Rico, not do I like to pass judgment here at my blog. I will say what I always say—it doesn’t hurt an employer to at least be organized!