THERE was a decline in the number of Filipinos looking for jobs and better employment opportunities, according to the preliminary data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Wednesday.
In a briefing, National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa said there was a 74,000 decrease in the number of unemployed Filipinos and 1.226 million in the number of the underemployed.
However, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said despite the good numbers from the April Labor Force Survey (LFS), the Philippines cannot rest on its laurels. Efforts to improve the labor market must continue in order to meet the government’s targets.
“Both quality and quantity of work need to be addressed. At the same time that employment opportunities are being increased, workers and jobseekers must be enabled to improve their knowledge and skills through training and education,” Pernia said.
The government programs such as the Government Internship Program, JobStart Philippines Program and apprenticeships, need to be enhanced to strengthen the labor market while also making it more flexible, he added.
Pernia also highlighted the need for a more comprehensive income protection program through a more vigilant enforcement of work safety regulations, aggressive employment facilitation and unemployment insurance to protect workers from unsafe working conditions and economic disruptions.
This was the same sentiment of Ibon Foundation Executive Director Sonny Africa. He told the BusinessMirror that while the PSA data must be welcomed, there were “alarming trends” hiding behind the figures.
“The reversal of four consecutive rounds of declining and then even negative job creation has to be welcomed. The reported 1.3 million increase in employment and 74,000 decrease in unemployment is no reason to be complacent, though, because there are some alarming trends beneath this,” Africa said.
He said for one, agriculture employment dropped further with a reduction of 376,000 which, Africa said, is the lowest in decades. He added that manufacturing employment declined by 101,000, the largest since the 189,000 decline recorded in 2008.
PSA data showed employment in the agriculture sector slowed to 86.9 percent in April 2019, from 88.7 percent in April 2018.
In the manufacturing sector, PSA data showed employment slowed to 43.7 percent in April 2019, from 45.3 percent in April 2018.
Ibon Foundation also pointed out that while there was a 602,000 increase in employment in trade; 446,000 additional jobs in transportation and storage; and 207,000 more work opportunities in construction, these would not pass off as quality employment providing decent wages.
“Employment increased most in wholesale and retail trade, which is the second lowest-paying service subsector next to household domestic work,” Africa said.
“It is much more urgent for the government to correct these instead of over-relying on the short-term stimulus of infrastructure spending,” he added.
However, Pernia said the services sector, which comprised of 58.5 percent of the country’s total employment, was the biggest contributor in terms of additional employment amid a more bullish business outlook in the second quarter of 2019.
“The expansion may be attributed to increased business activities in line with the campaign period for the Philippine midterm elections. Adding to this is the increase in consumer demand during summer and harvest seasons,” said Pernia.
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