By Junex Doronio
BELIEVE IT OR NOT BUT BAD WEATHER, aside from lack of job opportunities, has caused the massive unemployment in the country.
Based on the latest labor force survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), as of last September the number of Filipinos without jobs or livelihoods swelled from 2.21 million in August to 2.26 million Filipinos in September this year.
This means 45 out of 1,000 Filipinos, ages 15 and above, are jobless.
“They are looking for work but there’s no work… bad weather also contributed,” National Statistician and Philipine Statistics Authority (PSA) chief Claire Dennis Mapa revealed these numbers of unemployed Filipinos on Wednesday at a press conference.
The PSA chief, however, said the labor force participants are just waiting for rehires or job recall since some of their companies closed shop during the pandemic.
He noted that the number of employed persons declined to 47.67 million from 48.07 million in August, but higher than the 47.58 million employed individuals in September 2022.
Meanwhile, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said “the government is committed to improving the investment climate of the country to attract businesses that generate high-quality employment.”
He added that the government will continue to “pursue enhancements to existing policies to address concerns in investments, particularly in infrastructure development in areas outside the National Capital Region.”
At the same time, the government’s independent socioeconomic planning body also sees the need to “further reduce barriers to workforce participation.”
“We will continue to promote programs that encourage the adoption of wider alternative work arrangements, allowing people to remain productive from the comfort of their own homes,” Balicasan promised.
(ai/mnm)