More Pinoys have regular, permanent jobs – DOLE

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the reported increase in the number of unemployed people, more Filipinos now have regular and permanent jobs, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said yesterday.

DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said that while the unemployment rate slightly went up, the number of underemployed people has dropped.

“Underemployment decreased from 11.7 percent to 10.7 percent. This is quite significant because this indicates that there are now more workers with regular, permanent and remunerative jobs,” Laguesma said.

“If you read the report, there are more fixed wage or salaried workers these days,” he said, referring to the latest results of the Labor Force Survey.

Based on the LFS Survey done by the Philippine Statistics Authority, the number of jobless people rose from 4.5 percent in August to 4.6 in September.

Employment rate dropped from 95.6 percent to 95.5 percent, the survey said.

Laguesma said a major part of the unemployed was due to fewer self-employed and unpaid workers.

He said that on a year-to-year basis, the country’s employment rate increased, the underemployment rate declined considerably and the unemployment rate also decreased.

“There is work progression, although the quality of jobs remains a challenge,” Laguesma said.

He said the results of the surey reflected the “volatility and seasonality” of the Philippine labor markets, aggravated by some adverse climate weather conditions that affected the agriculture sector.

The employment decline in the manufacturing sector was due to supply chain concerns as well as issues on input and borrowing costs, he said.

Laguesma said that with the expected renewed economic activities for the 4th quarter, the employment situation in the country is seen to further improve.