Jobless count included minors — Palace

A day after the National Statistics Office (NSO) reported that unemployment in the country worsened to 7.4% in January from 6.3% in October, Malacañang on Wednesday justified the result by saying the survey included minors who were still in school. "I have information that the survey covered even those whose age is 15 years old. Many of them are still studying but they are part of those surveyed. I cannot question with definiteness the survey since that is part of their (NSO) job," Executive Secretary Eduardo R. Ermita said. The 7.4% unemployment rate translated to a total of 2.68 million jobless Filipinos out of a labor force of 36.4 million. It was, however, an improvement from the 7.8% recorded in the same month last year. National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director-General Augusto B. Santos has admitted that job creation was below the 1.4-1.6 million annual target in the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan and said this was due to weakness in the global economy. Economists also said the 7.4% growth recorded in the last quarter of 2007 had failed to generate jobs. The NSO defines labor force as "the population 15 years old and over whether employed or unemployed who contribute to the production of goods and services in the country." The National Statistical Coordinating Board, meanwhile, defines "unemployed" as all persons 15 years old and over and are reported as without work during the survey’s reference period, currently available for work, and seeking work. Mr. Ermita gave assurances that the government was crafting measures to create jobs and to improve the lives of the people. "The administration is addressing unemployment. The administration is currently finding means to implement projects to provide employment opportunities," he said. He cited as an example the Out-of-School Youth Serving Towards Economic Recovery (OYSTER), a government program that hires out-of-school youth as street sweepers. He also noted the presence of business process outsourcing firms in the country, which he said, is creating employment. "OYSTER ... is intended to improve economic conditions of those in Metro Manila. We also give importance to call centers because they help our highly educated work force. All these are part of the effort to provide good jobs and employment to our people," Mr. Ermita said. There are no new policies to boost job generation for now but the administration remains committed to creating one million jobs a year, he said. The Executive Secretary also claimed that the 2008 budget is designed to promote education and livelihood. "From the budget, you can see the thrust of the government to uplift people’s lives ... Students should be provided with good education to prepare them to secure jobs. Once they earn money, they will improve their lives," Mr. Ermita said. - BusinessWorld