THE country’s unemployment rate has increased to 4.0 percent in April 2024 possibly due to the “impact of El Niño,” which affected the agriculture sector, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Thursday, June 6, 2024.
The PSA said that as of April 2024, 2.04 million Filipinos are jobless, higher than the 2.04 million unemployed individuals during the month prior but lower than the reported unemployment rate in April 2023 and January 2024, both at 4.5 percent.
The country’s Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR), or those who were either employed or unemployed, was recorded at 64.1 percent or a total of 50.40 million individuals aged 15 years old and above.
This translates to a total of 48.36 million employed individuals in April from 49.15 million in March.
The number of underemployed individuals, or those who are employed but wanted additional hours of work in their current job, or to have an additional job or to have a new job with longer hours increased to 14.6 percent or 7.04 million individuals from only 11 percent during the previous month.
On average, employed persons worked 40.5 hours per week.
In a press conference, PSA Director Dennis Mapa said there was a significant decrease of employed persons in the agriculture sector at 818,000, which may be due to the extreme hot weather brought about by the summer season and the El Niño.
He said the number of employed individuals in farms producing leafy and fruit-bearing vegetables and corn also went down to 166,000 and 127,000, respectively.
“This could be because of the impact of El Niño because as production was lower, you have that decrease also in the employed (individuals),” he said.
Mapa noted a 0.3 percent decline in the crop production in the first three months of 2024.
Rice production also went down by 1.96 percent or 4.69 million metric tons, he said.
Mapa said there was also a notable decrease in employed persons in wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; human health and social work activities; public administration and defense, compulsory social security; and real estate activities.
In a statement, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) maintained its commitment in creating more high-quality jobs for Filipinos by investing in human capital, reinvigorating industry and priority sectors, and pushing for massive infrastructure development.
“The government’s massive infrastructure push is expected to create opportunities in several priority sectors, such as energy, logistics, and tourism. The government will also explore opportunities for quality job growth in the mining sector, leveraging available technologies to develop value-adding activities such as mineral processing,” said Neda Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.
Balisacan also said that despite the increase in unemployment, there has been a surge in middle-skilled occupations (+1.3 million) and full-time employment (+6.1 million), indicating improved job quality.
On April 30, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order 59, which aims to expedite the implementation of the country’s Infrastructure Flagship Projects and improve the ease of doing business.
The order is expected to further encourage investments in the country, which may result in the creation of more jobs for the Filipinos.
“Investing in human capital—improving education, healthcare, and social services -- remains a top priority. The government is currently drafting the Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB) Plan, which will serve as the country’s comprehensive employment generation and recovery master plan. It aims to address unemployment, underemployment, informal working arrangements, and other labor market challenges,” said Balisacan.
“The government aims to assist Filipino workers in the digital age. Initiatives include reducing job search duration, upskilling the workforce, and facilitating the transition towards higher-income jobs. The urgent passage of next-generation reforms, including the Konektadong Pinoy Bill, will play a crucial role in opening up more work opportunities and developing digital skills among the workforce,” he added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)