NATIONAL Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Regional Director Mylah Faye Aurora Cariño said the employment level of Northern Mindanao has more or less went back to its pre-Covid rate at 94 percent.
According to Cariño, one of the strong indicators that the region's economic health is recovering is its employment rate.
"So we're hoping that we would be able to retain that mo-steady na, if not mas maayo kung mosaka pa ang atong employment rate," Cariño said.
She added that they are also currently working on lowering the underemployment in Northern Mindanao which, based on the latest labor force survey, is at 20 percent.
The Neda regional director also said that apart from underemployment, they are also looking at the expansion of Northern Mindanao's gross regional domestic product (GRDP).
Cariño said the region's gross regional domestic product in 2019 has expanded by 5.9 percent. However, Neda-Northern Mindanao is expecting a decline between eight to nine percent in 2020.
"Makaingon na gyud ta ga maka-recover na ta kung ang atong GRDP mo-expand ug dili na mo-contract ug moabot sya sa level at least that we have reached in 2019," Cariño said.
Another thing Neda will have to look into are those businesses who temporary and permanently closed due to the pandemic.
"Ato pud tan-awon katong temporarily nagsira tungod sa Covid maka abri na ug katong permanently nagsira naka repurpose sila para magpadayon sila nga to do business in the region," Cariño said.