PHL employment, unemployment rates unchanged in January

The Philippines reported the same employment and unemployment rates in January this year and the same month in 2019, even with a higher working population during the period.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the employment rate remained unchanged at 94.3% in January from the same period last year.

The PSA also reported the unemployment rate unchanged at 5.3%, while the underemployment rate fell to 14.8% from 15.4%.

This came as the population 15 years and over rose to 72.997 million from 71.886 million in January 2019, bringing the labor force participation rate to 61.7% from 60.3%.

The PSA categorizes as underemployed persons who express 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 working hours.

In terms of breakdown, 65.2% of the employed persons were wage and salary workers, with those working in private establishments continue accounting for the largest share.

Self-employed workers made up 26.2% of the total employed during the month, while unpaid family workers accounted for 6.2% of the total employed.

In terms of unemployed persons, the PSA said that the rate remained the same even as there was an increase in absolute numbers to 2.239 million, given the high LFS (labor force survey) base.

"That is because of the increase in the labor force and in the population," said Assistant National Statistician Wilma Guillen.

"We have the same rate, but in terms of the levels for the unemployed, we have a higher number of unemployed persons," she added. —KBK, GMA News