Unemployment up, but Marcos Jr. says more Pinoys getting jobs

MANILA, Philippines — Reacting to the latest labor force survey that showed a rise in the unemployment rate in January, President Marcos said more Filipinos have joined the country’s labor force.

“Padami nang padami ang nagkakaroon ng magandang trabaho (More people are securing quality jobs)!” Marcos tweeted yesterday.

His tweet contained infographics stating that the unemployment rate went down year-on-year from 6.4 percent to 4.8 percent in January and the employment rate rose to 95.2 percent last month from 93.6 percent in the same period last year.

“Ibig sabihin, 4.1 milyong Pilipino ang nadagdag sa ating labor force! Tayo’y magpupursigi hanggang sa tuluyan na nating mawakasan ang kahirapan (That means 4. 1 million Filipinos were added to our labor force! We will work until we put an end to poverty),” Marcos said.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the reopening of the economy was responsible for the improvement of the employment situation.

But the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) sought more “decisive action” from the government to halt rising unemployment.

Also reacting to the latest labor force survey results, FFW president Sonny Matula said the “situation is unacceptable and requires urgent action from the government.”

Matula said the government must act swiftly and decisively to create more jobs and support workers who are struggling to make ends meet.

“This includes measures such as investing in infrastructure projects, supporting small and medium enterprises, and expanding the public sector that could provide more public employment programs,” Matula added.

He also suggested that the government engage labor groups and other stakeholders in the development of a comprehensive job creation program, including agro-industrialization, as well as provide assistance to micro, small and medium enterprises or MSMEs.

“Government should enact measures such as the 100 billion stimulus package for MSMEs, as well as wage subsidies, cash aid, and expanded social protection programs to help workers cope with high inflation, unemployment and underemployment,” Matula said.

Meanwhile, the Technical Education and Skills Development  Authority (TESDA) reported that the country now has over 100,000 highly skilled farmers and dependents trained on various agriculture-related courses from 2020 to 2021.

Danilo Cruz, TESDA director general, said the number includes the recent 53,221 trainees and the previous 64,221 persons who also went through the same courses.

“We’ve always prioritized the agriculture sector in our scholarship programs. We’ll continue to work with other government and private entities for strengthening the sector and for the provision of skills training and livelihood opportunities for our rice farmers,” Cruz said.

The TESDA course offerings include farm field school on production of high-quality inbred rice and seed certification and farm mechanization, rice machinery operations, drying and milling plant servicing, agro-entrepreneurship, pest and nutrients management, and digital agriculture.

Aniceto Bertiz III, TESDA spokesperson, said the agency is offering various agricultural courses under the agency’s Rice Extension Services Program. Most of the trainees came from Eastern Visayas, followed by those from Central Luzon and Western Visayas.

Cruz said TESDA has prioritized its agriculture courses as part of the government efforts to ensure the country’s food security and independence. He urged all Filipinos to engage in the agriculture sector and avail themselves of TESDA’s agriculture-related training courses, especially on modern rice farming.

Marcos, who is also the agriculture secretary, has committed to boosting local production of farm products and limiting the importation of goods.

TESDA trains rice farmers in line with the implementation of the Rice Liberalization Act. –  Mayen Jaymalin