Jobless Filipinos reach 2.26M in April
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 9) — The number of Filipinos with no work hit 2.26 million in April, a drop from the 2.42 million estimated a month before, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Friday.
This is equivalent to a national unemployment rate of 4.5%.
During a briefing, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said that the labor force participation increased to 50.31 million Filipinos aged 15 years old and over who were either employed or looking for jobs.
The employment situation likewise improved to 95.5% or 48.06 million Filipinos.
Underemployed persons, or those who have jobs but seek to have additional working hours or additional income stream, reached 6.20 million in April.
Mapa attributed the improvements in the unemployment situation to the renewed confidence of consumers and tourists amid the reopening of the economy.
He noted the sectors of accommodation and food services, and transportation were included in the major sources of employment during the month.
Asked about the impact of cooling inflation on the labor market, Mapa said they have yet to look into that but stressed that lower inflation “would always be better to encourage our consumers to consume.”
Meanwhile, the sectors that witnessed a drop in employment last April include the following:
— Agriculture and forestry
— Manufacturing
— Construction
— Electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply
— Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies
The construction industry saw 65,000 less jobs in April despite the dry season when it was expected that construction works would be on full throttle.
“Kung ico-compare sa number ng workers, maliit lang naman ito dahil ang dami ng workers ay aabot sa 3.8 million,” Mapa said.
[Translation: If compared to the number of workers, the figure is small because the number of workers has reached 3.8 million.]
Mapa said that since there is a seasonality factor, the sector might see another fall in employment going into the rainy season.
