MORE Filipinos were employed in November 2024 compared to the month prior, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Wednesday, January 8, 2025.
The PSA said as of November 2024, a total of 51.20 million Filipinos aged 15 and above were in the labor force, or those who were either employed or unemployed.
This is higher than the 50.12 million in October 2024.
Of the 51.20 million, 49.54 million or 96.8 percent were employed while 1.66 million or 3.2 percent were jobless.
The PSA said the underemployment rate went down to 10.8 percent from 12.6 percent in October. This included employed individuals who expressed the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have additional jobs, or to have a new job with longer hours of work.
On average, employed persons worked 41.1 hours per week, higher than the average hours worked in a week in November 2023 at 40.2 hours and in October 2024 at 41.0 hours per week.
The services sector remained the largest sector in terms of the number of employed persons, accounting for 62.1 percent of the 49.54 million employed persons in November 2024. It was followed by the agriculture and industry sectors, which accounted for 20.0 percent and 17.9 percent of the employed persons, respectively.
The manufacturing; accommodation and food service activities; human health and social work activities; other service activities and transportation and storage were the top five sub-sectors in terms of annual increase in the number of employed persons while the agriculture and forestry; wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; fishing and aquaculture; and electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply posted the highest annual decrease in the number of employed individuals.
In a statement, National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan assured that the government is prioritizing job quality and income improvement for Filipinos as the Philippine labor market continues to strengthen.
Balisacan touted a multifaceted approach that involves enabling investments in quality job-generating sectors, enhancing skills and workforce mobility, and improving employment facilitation services to ensure an efficient labor market.
“Our labor market remains robust, with consistently high employment rates and reduced underemployment. The next step is to expand business and employment opportunities to enable more Filipinos to actively and productively contribute to the economy. Moreover, we will encourage business upgrading and skills training programs to ensure that these jobs offer competitive wages as our workers raise their productivity by developing their human capital,” he said.
“The government needs to facilitate the adoption of alternative work arrangements to account for workers' evolving preferences while considering organizations' emerging demands. In addition, the government focuses on accelerating government programs that will increase employability, especially among the youth,” he added.
Balisacan also noted the timely implementation of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (Create More) Act and the Enterprise-Based Education and Training (Ebet) Framework Act, which highlights the government's commitment to improving the business climate, attracting investments, generating employment, and equipping the workforce with skills to meet the demands of emerging industries.
Recognizing the challenges posed by calamities, particularly to agriculture, he also cited the expansion of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) cash-for-work and training programs, such as the Local Adaptation to Water Access (Lawa) and Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished (Binhi), to reach climate-vulnerable communities.
“The effective implementation of the Building on Social Protection for Anticipatory Action and Response in Emergencies and Disasters Program will help minimize the impact of flooding, typhoons, and droughts by preparing communities and implementing protective measures before disasters strike,” Balisacan said.
“The government complements these efforts by developing climate-resilient infrastructure and early warning systems to strengthen agricultural productivity and build long-term resilience,” he added.
Balisacan said the DSWD, in partnership with Neda and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), is currently developing a tool to better assess beneficiaries' eligibility for the Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (Akap) and minimize leakage or duplication of aid. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)