CV total employment decline in 2022 — PSA

CEBU, Philippines — A slight decrease in total employment in Central Visayas in 2022 has been noted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Central Visayas.

The 2022 Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry (ASPBI) revealed a decrease in total employment across the region, with the number of workers dropping from 639,767 in 2021 to 629,930 in 2022, reflecting a decline of 1.5 percent.

As presented by PSA-7 Chief Statistical Specialist Engr. Leopoldo P. Alfanta Jr., the survey covered 4,108 establishments who were made respondents in their survey across the region.

The highest number of establishments located in Cebu with 3,063, followed by Bohol with 447, Negros Oriental with 454, and 54 in Siquijor.

Alfanta said that the decline in total employment in Central Visayas in 2022 was partially attributed to the impact of the pandemic.

 He explained that the pandemic caused many establishments to temporarily shut down or limit their operations, which in turn led to a decrease in the number of workers employed.

Central Visayas ranked third in terms of total employment with its 629,930 workers, accounting for 9.9 percent of total national employment.

The National Capital Region (NCR) remained the top employer, with 2,432,745 workers. This was followed by CALABARZON with 1,059,196 workers.

In terms of breakdown by industry group, the services sector remains the largest employer in the region, employing 454,694 workers, or 72.2 percent of the total workforce in 2022. It is followed by the industry sector, which employed 166,857 workers with 26.5 percent share, and lastly agriculture, which employed 8,379 workers, accounting for 1.3 percent of total employment in the region.

Data also corresponds to the growth in services employment attributed to the steady recovery of key sectors, including financial services, healthcare, and retail, which have remained essential throughout the pandemic.

Meanwhile, industry and agriculture sectors saw a decline in employed workers, with industry experiencing a 9.1 percent decrease from 183,533 workers in 2021 to 166,857 workers in 2022. Agriculture posted a 3.0 percent decline, from 8,639 workers in 2021 to 8,379 in 2022.

In specific sectors of services, the largest increase in employment was seen in the Financial and Insurance Activities sector, which added 4,304 workers, reflecting a growth of 17.3% from 24,869 workers in 2021 to 29,173 in 2022.

In addition, Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles came in second, with an increase of 2,349 workers, or a 2.5 percent growth from 95,565 workers in 2021 to 97,914 workers in 2022.

The Professional, Scientific, and Technical Activities sector ranked third with an increase of 22.1 percent, adding 2,142 workers to bring the sum to 11,814 workers in 2022.

Alfanta continued by revealing that large establishments employed the highest proportion of workers in 2022.

Large establishments are those with more than 200 workers, accounting for 57.4 percent of total employment, with 361,817 workers.

Small establishments, which typically employ fewer than 20 workers, accounted for 24.5% of total employment, with 154,452 workers.

Micro establishments or fewer than 10 workers employed 10.9 percent of the workforce, or 68,639 workers, while medium-sized establishments (20-199 workers) employed the least, with 7.1 percent of the total workforce, or 45,022 workers.

Alfanta clarified as to why the 2022 ASPBI results are being released in 2024 stating that was due to the comprehensive data collection process, which involved distributing numerous questionnaires throughout 2022.

“Most of the time we are doing the callback nu kay dili siya makuha dayon ang information or they cannot complete filling up the information on the day that is being set,” he shared.

He further clarified that the field operations, which involve visiting businesses and collecting the needed data, took place in 2023.

It became necessary for that reason that particularly with financial records and books of accounts, businesses often require longer time until the following year before they can close their records or finalize their financial statements. — (FREEMAN)