Labor group disputes workplace happiness report

A labor group on Sunday questioned the validity of a recently published workplace happiness report by an online job search company, saying widespread labor rights violations, job insecurity, and low wages cast doubt on claims that Filipino workers are generally happy.

The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) said the findings of the survey appeared inconsistent with labor conditions faced by many workers in the country.

“Who did they ask? I think the study is suspect,” said Julius Cainglet, FFW vice president.

Cainglet said the survey contradicted findings of the Workers Rights Watch (WRW) Report released last month, which recorded at least 1.5 cases of workers’ rights violations every week in 2025.

“If workers’ rights violations are that rampant, how can we conclude that Filipino workers are happy?” he said.

According to the WRW report, there were at least 69 cases of threats, harassment, intimidation, and terror- or red-tagging that affected 11,820 workers asserting labor rights, including the right to unionize.

The report also documented 21 cases of unfair labor practices involving 1,609 workers, six cases of union busting affecting 867 workers, and 11 cases of illegal dismissal involving 377 workers.

The Workers Rights Watch, a trade union watchdog, monitors alleged trade union and human rights violations in the Philippines. The report was produced with support from the European Union through a project managed by the FFW in cooperation with the Danish Trade Union Development Agency.

Cainglet also questioned claims of worker satisfaction, citing the continued migration of Filipinos for overseas jobs.

“If workers are indeed happy, how come we are still the top exporter of migrant labor, with millions of OFWs?” he said.

He pointed to the conditions faced by delivery riders, saying many endure extreme heat and hazardous traffic while trying to meet quotas.

Cainglet also cited persistent labor issues, including contractual work, unresolved labor disputes, and calls for wage increases and reforms to the regional wage-setting system.

“The sample size of the happiness survey is very small—just 1,000 Filipino workers, who are most likely concentrated in the industries where the online job hunting site has clients,” he said.

He added that workers in informal or low-paying sectors may not have been adequately represented in the survey.

“There are those who have given up on hopes of landing a decent job and have accepted their ever precarious fate. Flashing a smile in the midst of hopelessness is not happiness,” Cainglet said.—MCG, GMA News