MANILA, Philippines – Working hours for many Filipino workers are getting shorter due to the prevailing global financial crisis, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported yesterday.
Data from the DOLE’s Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) showed that average hours of work nationwide dropped to 39.5 hours this year from last year’s 41.6 hours.
“Based on the results of the April 2009 Labor Force Survey, the pressure of the global crisis took the form of overall decline in mean average hours of work,” BLES noted.
According to BLES, the significant increase in the number of part-time workers nationwide and the corresponding decline in full-time employment reflected the decline in average working hours.
BLES pointed out that the number of part-time workers rose by 19.9 percent or a total of 2.37 million in April this year, while the total number of full-time workers dropped by almost a million from last year.
While the number of underemployed Filipinos or those aspiring for additional work remained unchanged at 6.62 million, BLES said the so-called “visibly underemployed” went up by 310,000, from 4.02 million last year to 4.33 million this year.
Visibly underemployed workers work less than 40 hours a week.
Despite the decline in working hours, DOLE maintained that the employment situation in the country is getting better.
BLES further noted that unemployment went down by 84,000. The number of employed this year rose to 34.99 million from last year’s total employment figure of 33.53 million.
Except for the manufacturing sector, BLES said all sectors posted growth in employment, with the CALABARZON (IV-A) Region registering the highest gain with the employment of some 246,000 workers. – Mayen Jaymalin