Consider how Puerto Rico’s 56 government agencies currently hire civil servants: the hiring process is done manually, and many documents are often required to fulfill the various hiring rules and regulations at each agency. This results in a long, slow, and difficult process that often takes months. It’s no wonder that many qualified candidates, frustrated by this process, often give up or accept a different job while they wait to hear back from the government agency where they applied.
This is why a new Financial Oversight and Management Board-led Civil Service Reform (CSR) pilot program and talent acquisition platform were implemented within nine government agencies in 2024. The pilot’s goal was to reduce the time it takes to hire civil servants, minimize biases when evaluating candidates, and improve the overall hiring process, all objectives that were met by the end of the seven-month program.
Once the pilot concluded, a study was conducted to determine how successful the CSR pilot program was and how it could be improved. A webinar hosted by the Oversight Board highlighted the findings and discussed the outcome of the pilot program.
As part of the pilot program, the participating government agencies published 311 job announcements on the new hiring platform. Recruiters explained that they ended up hiring even more people than expected— 339 candidates in seven months —because the quality of the candidates identified through the platform was high. On average, positions were filled in about two months, while others were filled in as little as 13 days.
The Department of Economic Development & Commerce (DDEC) decided to run two Human Resources (HR) processes at the same time so they could compare the Government’s traditional hiring system and the new hiring platform which uses artificial intelligence (AI) as part of the initial screening to match candidates with the skills required for each specific position. Human Resources officials then conduct phone and in-person interviews to make their final decisions.
“We decided to recruit 85 people. There were approximately 41 job announcements [published within the new platform for DDEC],” said Cynthia Del Mar Rivera, Human Resources Director at DDEC during the Oversight Board webinar on February 19, 2025. According to Rivera, the use of AI in the new hiring platform made it easier for the department to find the best talent quickly.
“We were able to recruit people in 13 days. Recruiting 85 people in less than three months was an achievement,” she added.
DDEC was just one of nine entities included in the pilot program. The HR offices at the Puerto Rico Department of Education, and the Health, Labor and Treasury departments, were included as well. The Human Resources Administration & Transformation Office (OATRH), the Institute of Forensic Sciences, the Fiscal Agency & Financial Advisory Authority (AAFAF), and the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) also used AI-driven hiring platform during the 7 months the pilot was conducted.
A survey of HR officials at these agencies found that 88% of participants said the new hiring platform was much more agile than the government’s traditional hiring system. And, with a strong focus on a skills-based approach, 72% said the quality of the candidates had improved. Meanwhile, 87% of the candidates who received job offers described the new hiring process as “transparent.”
“Civil service is not merely trying to change the compensation processes, but also the recruitment processes, learning processes, evaluation and development of employees and organizational design. It is a comprehensive reform,” said Arnaldo Cruz, Deputy Executive Director of the Oversight Board.
At the Health Department, which employs over 7,000 people, many of them specialized medical professionals, HR Director Luis Rivera gave the pilot project a “thumbs up.” During the webinar, as Rivera addressed the many alternatives that exist for people to change jobs, he stated that “This is the future. This is the way in which we [government agencies] can stay relevant and be competitive.”
Despite the success of the CSR pilot program, with the change in Puerto Rico’s government administration, the new hiring platform is not currently active. The Oversight Board is waiting for confirmation from OATRH on the status of the project. The next step would be for the Government to establish clear guidelines and regulations to be followed so that a large-scale implementation can begin.
During the webinar, Cruz explained that the Oversight Board believes that Civil Service Reform is essential for Puerto Rico. The aim is to implement these new recruitment and talent management processes and the AI-assisted hiring platform at all government agencies.
Recognition from the National Governors Association
Puerto Rico’s implementation of this pilot program is being recognized within the United States as one of the first to successfully use AI to assist in hiring within government.
“This initiative was designed to create an agile and flexible recruitment system capable of attracting and retaining top talent,” said the National Governors Association (NGA) in their February 2025 report, Empowering Progress: Harnessing Skills-Based Strategies To Drive Public Sector Excellence. “Puerto Rico leads as the first within the U.S. state and local public sectors to officially implement a skills-based AI-driven talent management strategy.”
In October 2025, Cruz presented a webinar on the CSR initiative before the NGA, highlighting the successes of the pilot program. Webinar attendees were impressed by the results of the pilot, stating: “So many of the things we’re talking about, you all have already done; This has been fantastic. What you have been able to accomplish is impressive,” and calling P.R. a “pioneer” when it comes to AI-supported talent acquisition and management strategies.
