Unemployment in the Philippines eases to 7 percent in 2011

At least 2.8 million Filipinos, or 7 percent of the population 15 years old and over, were unemployed in 2011, the National Statistics Office (NSO) said in its Labor Force Survey on Wednesday.

According to the survey, the unemployment rate in 2011 was lower by 0.3 percent compared to the 7.3-percent unemployment rate in 2010.

It added that 63 percent of the total unemployed were males of which 45 percent reached high school; 42 percent attained college education; and 12.6 percent attained at the most an elementary level education.

Meanwhile, the survey also revealed that at least 40 million Filipinos were in the labor force or were economically active in 2011.

It noted that the 2011 annual labor force participation rate (LFPR) was higher by 1.2 million compared to the 39 million LFPR in 2010.

By region, the survey showed that Mimaropa (Region 4b) and Northern Mindanao registered the highest annual LFPR both at 70 percent, while the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao recorded the lowest at 55.6 percent.

In terms of level, the survey said that the total employed population in 2011 was estimated at 37.2 million persons. More than half, or 52.2 percent were engaged in the services sector; 33 percent were in agriculture; and 14.9 percent were in the industry sector.

It added that among the various occupation groups, the laborers and unskilled workers emerged as the largest group, or 32.6 percent. This was followed by farmers, forestry workers and fishermen with 15.4 percent; officials of the government and special interest organizations, corporate executives, managers, managing proprietors and supervisors with 14 percent; and service workers and shop and market sales workers with 11.1 percent. The rest of the occupation groups each comprised less than 10 percent, ranging from 0.4 percent to 7.4 percent.

The majority of the employed persons were wage and salary workers or 55.2 percent, the survey noted.

Moreover, the survey said that the annual underemployment rate in 2011 reached 19.3 percent or 7.2 million underemployed persons.

“The underemployed workers are employed persons who express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have additional job, or to have a new job with longer working hours,” the NSO explained.

BY MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO