Group: RP quality of jobs worst in 50 years (7:13 p.m.)

MANILA -- A think thank group on Wednesday said the country’s employment and quality of work experienced its worst in 2009, citing the worsening joblessness during the nine-year rule of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Research group IBON said that the 11.2 percent average unemployment rate for the period 2001-2009 broke previous records of unemployment figures in the past five decades.

IBON said that unemployment rates were “much lower” in 1956-1960 (8 percent), 1961-1970 (7.3 percent), 1971-1980 (5.4 percent), 1981-1990 (10.2 percent) and 1991-2000 (9.8 percent).

The group added that the government “grossly understate” the real labor situation of the country by only highlighting the decrease of unemployed workers despite the economic crisis.

“Although statistics show that 35.06 million are employed, the figure actually includes 4.22 million “unpaid family workers” and 12.16 million “own-account workers” covering those in informal sector work,” it said.

The group furthered “poor quality jobs” partially make up for about 6.69 million underemployed people last year, while 36.4 percent jobs in 2009 were part-time work at 12.75 million.

“These figures sum up to 25.35 to 31.91 million Filipinos– or 64.4 percent to 81 percent of the country's labor force either jobless or in poor quality work– the combined unemployed, unpaid family workers, own-account workers and non-regular or non-contract wage and salary workers.”

With this, IBON said addressing joblessness and providing quality work remain to be the top issues that the next administration needs to resolve.

The Arroyo administration said on Monday that the country’s labor situation is stable despite the onslaught of typhoons last year and the onset of El Niño phenomenon. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)