The age chart above shows that Puerto Rico's population is young and vibrant, since well over half of it is under the age of 44. For the technology sector, these demographics have a tremendous impact. A country with a young population is more susceptible to acquiring the talent and knowledge for use of new technologies at a much faster rate than countries whose population is older. This fact also provides Puerto Rico with a long-term "human" resource, which is that of a highly-skilled workforce. Today's youth will be the backbone of tomorrow's economy and the abundance of such workers in the island will surely help it, since the island's most important resource will be its citizens. Such an advantage will prove to be most valuable in bringing in foreign and international companies to manufacture high-tech products or software or to invest in local business and other entrepreneurial activities.

   As can be seen by the chart above, most jobs (all across the board) in Puerto Rico are held by island citizens. This is mostly due to several reasons. (1) Puerto Rico is one of the most educated nations in the world, which means that the island's educational institutions provide enough talented individuals to fill positions in all types of industries, whether it be IT or any other. (2) Puerto Rico does not attract large numbers of non-US immigrants, except for Cubans and Dominicans and even still these numbers amount to low percentages when compared to the overall population. (3) There is a constant back and forth migration of Puerto Ricans between the island and the US, which means that the pool of eligible candidates is kept fresh.

   In Puerto Rico there is a certain level of "Brain Drain" which was much worse in the early to mid 1900's when the economy was not as vibrant and many professionals left to find better lives in the US. Today this phenomenon still occurs but at a smaller scale. Many Puerto Ricans leave the country to study abroad in the US - not because of a lack of higher learning institutions in the island, but to receive what is perceived to be a better / more rounded education. Of these students that study abroad approximately 65% stay in the US to work and start their family lives. However, the rest return to Puerto Rico to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired abroad and implement new ideas that perhaps did not exist there before. The exact percentage is unclear - but many of these who originally remained in Puerto Rico go live in the US for some time / sometimes on a permanent basis and many return to the island after living for a number of years in the states. This migration / reverse-migration is a constant factor in the lives of Puerto Ricans at all economic levels.

   Companies interested in running IT related operations benefit dually from the Puerto Rican labor force, which is  both skilled and educated while at the same time earning low wages in comparison to U.S. employees in equivalent positions.  As per the table above, the market has realized the importance of technology related jobs such as that of computer software engineers, which per the table earn an average of $5.45 more per hour than a CEO.

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