El Niño worsens joblessness in April

MANILA, Philippines —  The country’s unemployment rate went up in April  as the El Niño phenomenon continued to affect jobs in the agriculture sector, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Preliminary results of the PSA’s Labor Force Survey showed that the unemployment rate rose  to four percent in April from 3.9 percent in March as the number of jobless Filipinos  climbed  to 2.04 million from two million a month ago. The number of unemployed in April, however, was lower than the 2.26 million recorded in April 2023.

In a press briefing, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said the higher unemployment  in April could be due to the dry spell, which affected the agriculture sector.

“This could be because of the impact  of El Niño. Because the production was lower, you have that decrease also in employed,” he said.

The latest unemployment rate, however, was lower than the 4.5 percent jobless rate in the same month last year.

The country’s underemployment rate climbed to 14.6 percent in April from the previous month’s 11 percent and the 12.9 percent in April 2023.

This translates to 7.04 million people who want to have additional hours of work or an additional job in April , higher than the 5.39 million underemployed Filipinos in March and the 6.2 million underemployed in April 2023.

The employment rate went down slightly to 96 percent in April   from 96.1 percent in March,  but was up from 95.5 percent in April 2023.

In terms of magnitude, there were 48.36 million employed Filipinos in April, lower than the 49.15 million employed in March, but higher than the 48.06 million in April 2023.

The labor force participation rate was at 64.1 percent in April, lower than the estimated LFPR of 65.3 percent a month ago and the 65.1 percent in April 2023.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said the government remains committed to having more high-quality jobs available for Filipinos by investing in human capital, strengthening industry and priority sectors and pushing for massive infrastructure development.

“The government’s massive infrastructure push is expected to create opportunities in several priority sectors, such as energy, logistics and tourism. The government will also explore opportunities for quality job growth in the mining sector, leveraging available technologies to develop value-adding activities such as mineral processing,” NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

Last April, President Marcos signed Executive Order (EO) 59, which aims to expedite the implementation of the country’s Infrastructure Flagship Projects by streamlining the processing of permits for priority infrastructure projects.

The NEDA expects the EO to further encourage investments and create jobs in the country.

To sustain labor gains, the NEDA said the government continues to work on improving the investment landscape and the workforce.

“Investing in human capital – improving education, healthcare and social services –  remains a top priority. The government is currently drafting the Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB) Plan, which will serve as the country’s comprehensive employment generation and recovery master plan. It aims to address unemployment, underemployment, informal working arrangements and other labor market challenges,” Balisacan said.

He said the TPB Plan will focus on upskilling and reskilling of the Filipino workforce to become more competitive.

There will also be support for micro, small and medium enterprises and industry stakeholders under the TPB Plan.

“The government aims to assist Filipino workers in the digital age. Initiatives include reducing job search duration, upskilling the workforce and facilitating the transition toward higher-income jobs. The urgent passage of next-generation reforms, including the Konektadong Pinoy Bill, will play a crucial role in opening up more work opportunities and developing digital skills among the workforce,” Balisacan said.