Female workers drive hike in employment rate in August

The Philippine labor situation saw a recovery in August with the increase in the number of employed Filipinos, while the unemployed declined amid the observed rise in women entering the workforce, according to the results of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s latest Labor Force Survey (LFS).

At a press conference on Tuesday, National Statistician and PSA chief Claire Dennis Mapa reported that the number of employed adults, ages 15 and above, grew to 49.15 million in August from 4.7 million in July.

As a percentage of the 51.22 million Filipinos in the labor force during the month, the number of individuals with jobs or livelihoods translates to an employment rate of 96%, up from 95.3% in July.

Consequently, the number of unemployed persons declined to 2.07 million in August from 2.38 million month-on-month, equivalent to an unemployment rate of 4%, down from 4.7% in July.

Mapa attributed the favorable labor statistics to the increase in female workers entering the labor force during the month.

“Isang major factor, maraming kababaihan ang pumasok sa labor force… at marami ang na-absorb (One major factor was that a lot of females entered the labor forces… and a substantial number of them were absorbed,” Mapa said.

“We have more female workers joining the labor force,” he added.

Labor force participation among female workers stood at 54.7%, up from 52.4% month-on-month. Among male workers, labor force participation saw a slight growth to 74.8% from 74.5% in the prior month.

Employment rate among women, likewise, grew to 95.3% from 94.8%. Joblessness in female workforce participants also slipped to 4.7% from 5.2%. Employment rate among male workers also grew to 96.5% from 95.6%, while unemployment dipped to 3.5% from 4.4%.

The underemployment rate in August also saw a decline to 11.2%, from 12.1% in July.

In terms of magnitude, underemployed persons stood at 5.48 million out of the 49.15 million employed during the month.

Underemployed refers to individuals who expressed 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 hours of work.

Sectors

The services sector remained as the top sector in terms of the number of employed persons with a share of 63.3% of the total 49.15 million employed persons in August. 

The agriculture and industry sectors accounted for 19.3% and 17.4% of the employed persons, respectively

Meanwhile, the top five sub-sectors with the largest increase in employed person in August versus July were as follows:

• Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles +1.15 million
• Public administration and defense; compulsory social security +351,000 
• Education +209,000
• Transportation and storage +207,000
• Other service activities +172,000

On the other hand, the top five sub-sectors with the largest drop in employed persons from July to August were the following:

• Agriculture and forestry -352,000
• Fishing and aquaculture -278,000
• Financial and insurance activities -130,000
• Manufacturing -53,000
• Accommodation and food service activities -39,000

Moreover, wage and salary workers continued to account for the largest share of employed persons with 62.4% of the total.

This was followed by self-employed persons without any paid employee at 28.3% and unpaid family workers at 6.9%. 

Employers in own family-operated farm or business had the lowest share of 2.5%.

Among wage and salary workers, the PSA said those employed in private establishments remained to have the highest share of 76.4% of the wage and salary workers or 47.7% of the total employed. 

This was followed by those employed in government or government-controlled corporations with a share of 16.2% of the wage and salary workers or 10.1% of the total employed.

Holiday season

Mapa said the PSA is expecting further improvement in the labor situation during the “ber” months as economic activities usually rise during the holiday season.

“Coupled with the country's four-year-low inflation rate in September 2024 at 1.9%, the positive results of our labor force survey can lead us to a more vibrant holiday season," National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said in a statement.

The NEDA chief said the drafting of the Trabaho Para Sa Bayan (TPB) Plan 2025-2034 will begin next month, and its finalization is expected by the end of the year. 

The TPB Inter-Agency Council, chaired by Secretary Balisacan, will lead the crafting of the master plan in coordination with other relevant government agencies and stakeholders.

So far, NEDA is set to finish the final leg of the TPB Plan's regional consultations and has engaged with various stakeholders. The last two consultations will be in Regions X and XII in late October.

Balisacan also called for the swift passage of the Konektadong Pinoy Bill, stating that it will usher advancements across various sectors, including ICT, education, health, and agriculture.

"Such advancements will immensely expand our countrymen's access to various market opportunities as well as programs on upskilling and retooling to equip Filipinos for better jobs," Balisacan said. —KBK, GMA Integrated News