Companies cannot compete with firms that pay much lower wage rates on neighboring islands. A rule of thumb is that a minimum wage that is above 55% of the median wage will impede job creation (and economic growth);
劳动力参与度低是波多黎各非熟练工人生产力相对较低的后果。这里的企业无法与在邻近岛屿工资水平要低得多的公司竞争。经验显示当最低工资标准相当于实际工资中位线的55%时就将阻碍创造就业（以及经济增长），而根据联邦政府规定，波多黎各的最低工资相当于中位线的77%。