3.5 million workers affected by pandemic since March —DOLE

Around 3.5 million Filipino workers have been affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic since March, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Saturday.

In an interview on Dobol B sa News TV, DOLE undersecretary Dominique Rubia-Tutay said that of the number, more than 200,000 permanently lost their livelihood due to retrenchment or establishment closure.

Meanwhile, 3.3 million workers are under a flexible work arrangement or whose workplaces are temporarily closed. Tutay said this made up about 75% of the data.

“Meron din po na hanggang sa ngayon ay temporary closed po ‘yung kanilang kompanya kaya wala pa rin po silang trabaho technically, although connected pa rin po sila sa kompanya,” she said.

“Meron din naman pong tinatawag na flexible work arrangement. ‘Yung iba diyan either naka forced leave, ‘yung iba naman po nagbawas ng oras ng trabaho o kaya nagbawas ng oras ng trabaho, o kaya po ay on rotation sila para lang po ma-maintain lang po natin ‘yung employment,” she added.

The undersecretary said that 1,264 companies have already closed due to the pandemic, while 11,000 companies have offloaded workers.

“So overall po nasa 12,000 po ito at pinakamarami po diyan ay nasa National Capital Region at ito po ang nakaapekto sa ‘yung binabanggit ko kanina na mahigit 200,000 katao na tuluyan nang nawalan ng trabaho,” she said.

Tutay said the wholesale and retail sector was one of the most affected by the pandemic as only essential goods and services remained open.

“So isa po ‘yan, and then makikita rin po natin ‘yung sa transportation, sa education po lalo na po sa private sector, and tourism, hotel, restaurants, and management. Isa pa ito sa pinakauna at pinakamalaki po ang tama sa atin pong mga manggagawa,” she said.

Other services were also affected, according to Tutay.

“'Pag sinabi kasi nating other services, nandiyan po ‘yung mga maliliit po nating mga barbershop. ‘Yung mga spa, ‘yung mga alam niyo, ‘yung nagkukumpuni ng mga computers, ng mga gadgets. ‘Yung mga maliit na maliit na negosyo ito pero kung bibilangin sila… malaki,” she said.

DOLE earlier said that over 10,000 slots for jobs in business process outsourcing, health, and construction sectors will be made available to individuals looking for employment amid the pandemic. —Joahna Lei Casilao/MDM/KG, GMA News