The shift to Alert Level System (ALS) has opened more job opportunities for Filipinos who are bearing the brunt of the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, Malacañang said Thursday.

This, after the country’s unemployment settled at 6.4 percent in February 2022, according to the data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

However, the number of jobless Filipinos in February reached 3.13 million, higher than the 2.93 million reported in January.

Despite this, the PSA noted that the February 2022’s unemployment rate was lower than the 8.8 percent or 4.9 million unemployed Filipinos recorded in February 2021.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, also acting presidential spokesperson, attributed the lower unemployment to the “effective” implementation of ALS.

“Unemployed individuals in February 2022 are more than a million lower compared to the same month last year,” Andanar said in a press statement. “The improvement in the employment situation demonstrates the effective recalibration of our strategies with the shift to Alert Level System which allowed more Filipinos to rejoin the labor force.”

Andanar said the current employment situation in the country serves as a “concrete proof” that the government’s Covid-19 response is “working.”

He, however, acknowledged that the government needs to work harder to help more Filipinos who are still struggling to find jobs.

“While we have done much in reopening our economy, much more needs to be done as there are more than 3 million Filipinos with no jobs,” Andanar said.

Andanar said the implementation of the most relaxed Alert Level 1 in other parts of the country, including Metro Manila, would pave the way for more job openings.

“Our Economic Team, for one, hopes to shift the entire country to Alert Level 1 and reap its full benefits, so more businesses would operate and more Filipinos would be able to find work,” he said.

Metro Manila, as well as 56 other cities and provinces and over 100 component cities and municipalities, are under Alert Level 1 for the first half of April.

The rest of the country remains under Alert Level 2. (PNA)