WHOLESALE and retail trade topped the establishment count in the Cordillera Administrative Region with 8,371 or 44.1 percent according to a report by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Accommodation and food service comes in second with 3,369 establishments and manufacturing service with 2,216 establishments.
According to 2009 Philippine Standard Industrial Classification (PSIC) who provides a detailed classification of industries prevailing in the country which covers economic activities under 18 industry sections. The size of an establishment is determined by its total employment.
Majority of the establishments in the region are 16,991 micro enterprises or businesses with less than 10 employees which employed about 46,155 persons.
As Cordillera remains a tourism oriented region, chief of Statistical Operations and Coordination Division Aldrin Federico Bahit Jr. said the number of trade establishments continue to increase.
The city and provinces also need to determine the industry needs but Bahit mentioned they are having a hard time with the desecration of industries that they have sought the city and provinces local government offices to fix classification of industries.
"What the city and provinces share in the Gross Domestic Product cannot be estimated unless we determine first the classification system of industries," said Bahit.
Majority of the establishments were single in terms of economic organization with 16,624 establishments comprised of 87.5 percent of the total establishments in the region followed by branch only (1,829 establishments), establishment and main office (433 establishments) and ancillary unit (62 establishments) and main office (44 establishments).
Meanwhile, electricity, gas steam and air conditioning supply, mining and quarrying and water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities had the least number with 42, 18 and 15 respectively.
Cordillera shares 2.1 percent or 18,992 total establishment in the country with the establishments employed about 106,788 persons.
The province of Benguet and Baguio City incurred the highest number of establishments with 13,560 which accounted to 71.4 percent of the total establishments in the region followed by Kalinga with 1,532 establishments and 5,518 employees ranking third is Mountain Province with 1,460 establishments employing 3,561 persons.
Small enterprises that have 10 to 99 employees shared with 24,899 employed persons from 1,196 workers. Medium enterprises with hundred or more employment with 37 establishments employing 5,627 workers.