NEDA PUSHES FOR MORE JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN PROVINCES NEAR DISASTER-STRICKEN AREAS
MANILA – More employment opportunities need to be encouraged in areas where victims of disasters tend to migrate to look for work, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
This statement came after the Philippine Statistics Authority released the results of the Labor Force Survey (LFS) for January 2014. The survey shows that total employment grew by 0.8 percent year-on-year, translating to 283,000 jobs generated, but slower than the labor force growth of 1.2 percent during the period.
As a result, the unemployment rate went up to 7.5 percent in January 2014, higher by 0.4 percentage point from the year-ago rate of 7.1 percent.
However, the underemployment rate went down to 19.5 percent for the period, or approximately 7.1 million employed persons in January 2014. This is lower compared to 20.7 percent or about 7.5 million in January 2013.
“The January result of the LFS is quite unique in that it comes as an aftermath of two extreme disasters in 2013. We are now observing the lingering effects of the disruptions caused by these disasters on the supply chains not only in disaster-affected areas but also in neighboring areas. For example, construction materials diverted to disaster areas caused supply problems in neighboring areas, including Luzon provinces,” said Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan.
The slower growth in employment in the services sector, which accounts for the bulk of total employment, inched up only by 0.1 percent or 18,000 net employment generation in January 2014.
“The devastation wrought by these disasters probably affected tourism and demand for leisure and wellness services,” said Balisacan. Unemployment rate was highest at 11.2 percent in the National Capital Region (NCR). “The double-digit unemployment rate in NCR may be due to the phenomenon of in-migration of individuals from rural areas and those from the disaster-stricken areas seeking opportunities for employment,” said Balisacan.
