PSA: 9.1M Pinoys laid off during March 2020 to Feb. 2021 period due to pandemic

More than nine million Filipinos experienced being laid off almost a year since the government imposed quarantine measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

Results of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) February Labor Force Survey showed that 9.1 million adults — aged 15 and above — experienced temporary or permanent lay-off during the March 2020 to February 2021 period.

“Sa Pebrero 2021 Labor Force Survey, kasama ang katanungan kung ang isang indibidwal ay nakaranas ng pansamantala o permanenteng pagkatanggal sa trabaho sa loob ng panahong Marso 2020 hanggang Pebrero 2021,” PSA chief National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa said at a virtual press briefing on Tuesday.

(In the February 2021 Labor Force Survey, among the questions asked was if an individual experienced temporary or permanent lay-off from March 2020 to February 2021.)

Of the 9.1 million who experienced being laid off, 75.4% or 6.9 million are currently employed or have their own businesses.

Meanwhile, 13.5% or 1.2 million are still unemployed; while 11.1% or one million are currently not in the labor force or not actively looking for employment.

The Philippines had been under lockdown for nearly nine months, after the first restrictions were implemented in March 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The government gradually eased quarantine restrictions since November last year.

However, new COVID-19 cases saw a dramatic increase, hitting all-time highs since the onset of the pandemic .

The surge in new cases has prompted the government to place Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal under enhanced community quarantine

The provinces of Quirino and Isabela were placed under modified ECQ from April 1 to 15 and April 1 to 30, respectively. 

The Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Batangas, Tacloban City, Iligan City, Davao City, and Lanao del Sur will be under general community quarantine from April 1 to 30.

The rest of the country will be under MGCQ.

“Over the past year, employment figures showed the sensitivity of the labor market to the level of community quarantines that were imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19,” the economic managers said in a joint statement.

“However, with the sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases this month, the government has imposed the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila and the adjacent provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, collectively called the ‘NCR Plus’ bubble, from March 29 to April 4,” they said.

The economic managers said the decision was arrived at after a careful analysis of the cost and benefit of the week-long ECQ on the people. 

“We assure the Filipino people that the Duterte administration will not squander this opportunity to slow down the spread of the virus and recalibrate our COVID-19 response strategies,” they said. 

“We will continue to monitor closely and assess the health and economic data as they come in order for us to deliver timely interventions and provide better opportunities for the people, especially the poor, amid this prolonged health crisis,” they added.

The economic managers are the secretaries of the National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Finance, and Department of Budget and Management. —KG, GMA News