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Unemployment, underemployment climb in July from June

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ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA (<strong>UPDATE</strong>) - The unemployment rate in the Philippines climbed to 4.8 percent in July from 4.5 percent in June, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.</p><p>This means there were 2.27 million jobless Filipinos, said National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa.</p><p>The PSA however noted that this was an improvement from the 5.2 percent jobless rate in July last year, which saw 2.6 million workers unemployed.</p><p>The absolute number of Filipino workers who were jobless however was also lower, as the total number of people in the labor force contracted. </p><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/business/09/08/chart-4.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/business/09/08/chart-5.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/business/09/08/chart-6.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/business/09/08/chart-7.jpg"/></div></div></div><p>Mapa said the labor force became smaller because some 1.99 million Filipinos focused on household work, like taking care of younger siblings or children or doing household chores.</p><p>&quot;Meron din tayong nagsabi, kasi may mga new entrants tayo palagi every quarter, may nagsabi na they&#x27;re too young to work. Mga 1 million din yun,&quot; he noted.</p><div><strong>&#x27;WALANG TRABAHO AVAILABLE&#x27;</strong></div><p>&quot;At yung pangatlo, meron tayong medyo substantial na number, 365,000, na nagsabi na hindi sila, wala silang mahanap na trabaho. They believe na walang trabaho na available.&quot;</p><p>(We also have respondents who said--remember we have new entrants every quarter--we have 1 million who said they&#x27;re too young to work. And a third category, about 365,000, who said they can&#x27;t find work, They believe there are no jobs available.) </p><p>The underemployment rate also climbed to 15.9 percent in July from 12 percent in June, meaning 7.1 million Filipino workers saw their jobs or wages as insufficient.</p><p>This was also seen as better than the 13.8 percent unemployment rate July last year. </p><p>Underemployment, according to the PSA, means that a worker already has a job but is still looking for more job hours or extra work.</p><p>Mapa said some 1.25 million Filipinos in July were noted to have been going through invisible underemployment--meaning, they are already working 40 hours a week but are still looking for another job.</p><p>He also noted that some 1.11 million Filipinos aged 15-24 said they are not working to focus on school. </p><p>Broken down by sector, services still employed the most Filipinos, accounting for 59.4 percent of total employed.</p><p>Agriculture accounted for 21.5 percent, while industry employed 19 percent of all workers.</p><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/business/09/08/chart-20.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/business/09/08/chart-21.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/business/09/08/chart-22.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/business/09/08/chart-23.jpg"/></div><div><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/business/09/08/chart-24.jpg"/></div></div></div><p>Year-on-year, the 5 industries that added the most number of jobs were transportation and storage (337,000); <br/>administrative and support service activities (243,000); professional, scientific, and technical activities (162,000); information and communication (117,000); and manufacturing (75,000).</p><p>Meanwhile, the industries that had the highest drop in jobs were: wholesale and retail trade, and repair of motorcycles and vehicles (1.97 million); agriculture and forestry (1.58 million); and public administration and defense and compulsory social security (271,000).</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/business/08/09/23/ph-unemployment-rate-climbs-to-45-pct-in-june">PH unemployment rate climbs to 4.5 pct in June, underemployment rate at 12 pct</a></li></ul><p>Mapa said the following lines of work in the agriculture sector saw a decline in their number of workers: growing of leafy and fruit-bearing vegetables (334,000); harvesting, threshing, grading, and related activities (280,000); hog farming (260,000); and growing of other vegetables, melons roots and tubers (172,000).</p><p>The official said typhoons that have hit the Philippines may have hurt the agriculture sector.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/31/23/typhoon-egays-agri-damage-soars-to-near-p2-billion">Typhoon Egay&#x27;s agri damage soars to near P2 billion</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/09/05/23/inflation-quickens-to-53-percent-in-august">Inflation quickens to 5.3 pct in August as rice, fuel costs rise</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/09/07/23/p35-to-p50-minimum-wage-hike-approved-in-calabarzon">P35 to P50 minimum wage hike approved in Calabarzon</a></li></ul><p>Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the government remains committed to improving the country&#x27;s business climate to attract more investments and high-quality jobs for Filipinos.</p><p>Balisacan also said the government will focus on upskilling Filipino employees.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/business/05/01/23/tesda-sees-uptick-in-2023-enrollees-eyes-upskilling">TESDA sees uptick in 2023 enrollees, eyes upskilling</a></li></ul><p>&quot;These are critical to assisting members of the workforce, particularly those in vulnerable employment, to improve their employability and allowing them to move across industries and occupations,&quot; he explained. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/business/08/29/23/more-women-enhancing-job-skills-before-returning-to-work-coursera">More women enhancing job skills before returning to work: Coursera</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/business/08/04/23/jobseekers-must-upgrade-skills-to-keep-up-with-workforce-demand-jobstreet">Jobseekers must upgrade skills to keep up with workforce demand: Jobstreet</a></li></ul>

The unemployment rate climbed to 4.8 percent in July from 4.5 percent in June, while the underemployment rate also climbed to 15.9 percent in July from 12 percent.