The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said more Filipinos who are looking for jobs contributed to the latest positive result of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) June Labor Force Survey (LFS).
DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said Wednesday that employment rate rose from 96.1 percent in May to 96.3 percent in June.
“This means more and more Filipinos are actively searching for employment opportunities,” he said in a statement.
The DOLE chief noted that the rise showed “185,000 individuals were able to find jobs within a month.”
“This upward trend suggests a strengthening labor market driven by growth in the industry sector, specifically in the sub-sectors such as wholesale and retail trade, fishing and aquaculture, and construction,” Laguesma said.
The LFS further showed a decrease in the number of unemployed individuals from 2.03 million in May to 1.95 million in June, or from 3.9 percent in May to 3.7 percent in June.
A decline was also observed in the month-on-month number of underemployed persons from 6.603 million in May to 5.763 million in June.
“This can be attributed to the increase in the number of full-time employment by 1.724 million month-on-month and the decline in part-time employment by 878,000 month-on-month,” he said.
Meanwhile, Laguesma vowed to continue to strengthen its youth and adult employability and employment facilitation programs through a whole-of-nation approach anchored on convergence, innovation, and accessibility.
“Key initiatives include the enhancement of its labor market information system, particularly the PhilJobNet online portal, to provide real-time, verified job postings for youth and other jobseekers, as well as intensified partnerships with Public Employment Service Offices, national government agencies, local government units, private sector, and social partners, to expand the reach of job fairs and employment services nationwide through the Trabaho sa Bagong Pilipinas,” he added.
Such action, he said, was in response to the fourth State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. where he underscored the importance of decent and quality jobs as the most effective safeguard against poverty and hunger.
The President drected DOLE, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Tourism, and other relevant agencies to persist in finding ways to create opportunities for the remaining four percent of the labor force who are still unemployed.
“We are also actively implementing and scaling up of pre-employment and internship programs such as the Special Program for the Employment of Students, Government Internship Program, and JobStart Philippines, while supporting the career development support needs of students and first-time jobseekers,” Laguesma said. (PNA)
