Number of jobseekers hits 1.5 M this year

MANILA, Philippines - Jobless people are now more optimistic and interested in looking for employment compared to last year, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported yesterday.

Data from DOLE’s Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) showed the number of jobseekers increased to 1.5 million from 1.2 million last year.

Of the estimated 2.9 million unemployed people recorded in January, DOLE said 51 percent looked for a job compared to only 43 percent during the same period last year.

DOLE said the number of unemployed who did not look for job dropped by 100,000 – from 1.5 million in 2013 to 1.4 million this year.

Almost half the number of the unemployed refused to look for jobs, citing tiredness as reason, or believing there are no jobs available.

Other reasons cited for not looking for employment were temporary disability, awaiting response from firms they applied with and bad weather.

DOLE said even the number of unemployed who thought there were no jobs available for them dropped from 421,000 last year to only 364,000.

Labor officials said the improving economy could have created a sense of optimism and encouraged the unemployed to look for jobs.

For the past years, DOLE said there has been a steady decline in the number of so-called discouraged workers or applicants who have given up searching for work, believing there were no vacancies.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz earlier gave assurance that the government, particularly DOLE, is addressing the plight of discouraged workers.