On May 1, Labor Day, an estimated 10.4 million Filipino adults are said to be jobless. According to the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Station, this number is down by almost 1 million from December 2016’s estimate of 11.2 million.
According to a Sun Star Manila report, the March 25-28 survey shows “steady joblessness” in the country. SWS defines jobless adults as those currently having no job and those looking for a job.
Unemployment And Employment Under The Duterte Administration
This is the first Labor Day being commemorated under the new administration. As the survey limits itself to a small survey sample, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) shows a more complete picture.
The latest Labor Force Survey indicates that the country’s unemployment rate as of January 2017 is 6.6 per cent. Compared to 4.7 per cent in December 2016, there is a jump in the number of unemployed persons in the country.
Of the 10.4 million unemployed, almost half or around 5.1 million said that they resigned from their jobs, while around 3.9 million Filipinos were forced to leave because of company closures and other related reasons. The number of new job seekers is estimated at 1.4 million, according to the survey.
DOLE Hosting Several Job Fairs This May
In related news, DOLE is hosting several job fairs this whole month of May. The first one was conducted on May 1. Two more fairs are lined up on May 10 and 18.
According a CNN Philippines report, the May 10 fair will be held in Pasay City, while Malabon City will host the third one on May 18. On Labor Day, eight job fairs were simultaneously held in different parts of Metro Manila. More than 200 agencies participated, offering up 14,000 jobs up for grabs.
The Department also announced that they are opening 54 job and business fairs all over the country within the year. This is said to bring around 200,00o jobs.