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Unemployed Pinoys decline to 2.18M; employed up to 49.71M in November 2022


The number of jobless Filipinos declined while employed individuals increased in November 2022 amid the seasonal increase in economic activities during the holiday season, the Philippine Statistic Authority (PSA) reported on Friday.

Preliminary results of the November 2022 Labor Force Survey showed that unemployed persons ages 15 and above stood at 2.18 million, lower than the 2.24 million jobless in October 2022 and 3.16 million unemployed in November 2021.

The unemployment rate dropped to 4.2% from 4.5% in October 2022 and 6.5% in the same month of the prior year.

“Ang unemployment rate nitong Nobyembre 2022 ay ang pinakamababa sa naitala mula Abril 2005,” PSA chief and National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa said at a virtual press briefing.

(The unemployment rate in November 2022 is the lowest recorded since April 2005.)

Meanwhile, the number of employed Filipinos rose to 49.71 million, from 47.11 million in the prior month and 45.47 million in November 2021.

The employment rate clocked at 95.8%, higher than the 95.5% rate in October 2022 and 93.5% in November 2021.

“Holiday season kasi talagang tumataas ang employment, labor force participation kasi nga marami tayong economic activity,” Mapa said.

(It’s because of the holiday season that employment, labor force participation are going up due to numerous economic activities.)

“Talagang nakikita natin ito na kapag October, November, December usually mataas ang labor force participation at saka employment,” he said.

(We are really seeing this every October, November, December that usually the labor force participation and employment are high.)

Labor force participation or the number of individuals who are part of the workforce also increased to 51.88 million in November 2022, from 49.35 million in October 2022 and 48.63 million.

This translates to a labor force participation rate of 67.5%, higher than the 64.2% rate both recorded in October 2022 and November 2021. 

“The strong labor market signifies the steady recovery of our economy. With the release of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, we are starting our work toward deepening economic and social transformation,” National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said in a statement.

“We see a more dynamic labor market as flexible work arrangements and digitalization provide easier access to employment opportunities for Filipinos who also attend to other essential tasks such as parenting and pursuing higher education, among others,” Balisacan said.

Underemployment

Underemployed persons — those employed but expressed the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have an additional job, or to have a new job with longer hours of work — slightly increased to 7.16 million, from 6.67 million in October 2022 but lower than the 7.62 million underemployed recorded in November 2021.

The November underemployed individuals translates to an underemployment rate of 14.4%, down from 16.8% year-on-year but up from 14.2% month-on-month.

Mapa attributed the increase in underemployment also to the seasonal rise in demand for part-time workers during the holiday season.

“Creating an enabling environment to attract investments that can create more and high-quality employment while improving the employability of Filipinos are among the major strategies to advance economic and social transformation,” Balisacan said. 

Top sectors

The PSA chief said the services sector continued to dominate the employment market with the lion’s share of 60.5% of total employed persons.

On the other hand, agriculture and the industry sectors accounted for 21.4% and 18.1% of the total employed individuals, respectively.

The top five sub-sectors with the highest month-on-month increase in the number of employed persons in November 2022 were the following:

Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (941,000)

  • Manufacturing (668,000)
  • Accommodation and food service activities (381,000)
  • Agriculture and forestry (247,000)
  • Public administration and defense; compulsory social security (203,000)

Meanwhile, the top five sub-sectors with the highest drop in the number of employed persons from October 2022 to November 2022 were as follows:

  • Construction (-408,000)
  • Fishing and aquaculture (-211,000)
  • Transportation and storage (-39,000)
  • Administrative and support service activities (-8,000)
  • Mining and quarrying (-4,000)

NEDA chief Balisacan said the government will implement measures to attract investments that generate employment.

The measures include upgrading and expanding infrastructure, and improving regulatory and bureaucratic efficiency.  

“The strategies of the PDP 2023-2028 intend to reinvigorate job creation, particularly high-quality jobs. Expanding our pool of high-quality workforce will also support our goal of economic and social transformation to accelerate economic recovery and ensure that it will be inclusive and resilient. This thrust  then brings us back on track in empowering every Filipino to have a ‘matatag, maginhawa at panatag na buhay’,” Balisacan said.

The PDP 2023-2028, released on December 31, 2022, outlines key strategies to increase the income-earning ability of Filipinos.

These include expanding opportunities for lifelong learning, training and retraining programs, and developing the adaptability of the current and future workforce to the changing demands of the labor market.  

The PDP also includes strategies to enhance labor market information systems and employment facilitation services. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News

 

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