Jobless rate edges up to 4.5% in Sept

UNEMPLOYMENT marginally rose in September from August, picking up to 4.5 percent from 4.4 percent, but was still an improvement from the 5 percent recorded a year earlier.

Some 2.26 million Filipinos were without jobs, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Wednesday, 50,000 more than the previous month's 2.21 million. The number, however, was greater in September last year at 2.5 million.

Underemployment, meanwhile, eased to 10.7 percent from 11.7 percent and 15.4 percent in August and a year earlier, respectively.

Those «who have expressed the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have additional jobs, or to have a new job with long hours of work» numbered 5.11 million, the PSA said.

With employment at 95.5 percent, the number of individuals with jobs reached 47.67 million, down from 48.07 million in August but better than the year-earlier 47.58 million.

The services sector remained the largest employer, accounting for 60.4 percent of those with jobs. Agriculture followed with 21.5 percent while industry had an 18.1-percent share.

Employees receiving wages or salaries remained the largest employed group at 64.7 percent of the total. The self-employed without paid employees were next at 25.9 percent while unpaid family workers accounted for 6.7 percent. Those in family-run farms or businesses were at 2.6 percent.

The country's Labor Force Participation Rate declined to 64.1 percent from 64.7 percent in August and 65.2 percent in September last year.

In a statement issued following the PSA's announcement of the latest jobs data, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan reiterated the government's objective of pursuing high-quality job generation for Filipinos.

«The government is committed to improving the investment climate of the country to attract businesses that generate high-quality employment,» he said.

«We will continue to pursue enhancements to existing policies to address concerns in investments, particularly in infrastructure development in areas outside the National Capital Region,» Balisacan added.

The government will also work to make the economy more resilient, the National Economic and Development