DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

The service industry has solidified its position as the primary engine of the Dominican labor market, El Dia reports. According to recent data from the Dominican Social Security System (SDSS) for November 2025, the sector accounts for 1,265,240 contributing workers out of a total private-sector pool of 1,695,256 employees.

The dominance of this sector is not limited to headcount; it also leads in the number of contributing employers. Of the 107,266 private-sector employers registered, the service subsectors, led by commerce, represent 83.81% of the total. Specifically, commerce alone accounts for 32.81% of all contributing employers, followed by “other services” at 21.34%.

Historically, this reliance on the service sector reflects the Dominican Republic’s transition from an agrarian economy to one centered on tourism and retail, which now accounts for approximately 60% of the nation’s...