By: Margaret Padilla
According to Dennis Mapa, Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) Undersecretary and resource person, the number of unemployed Filipinos dropped slightly to 2.93 million in January 2022, the lowest level in four months, with the country’s unemployment rate gradually dropping to 6.4 percent from 7.4 percent in October 2021.
“How did the unemployment rate fall despite the strict (pandemic) restrictions? If we look at the data from October 2021, we can see that what the strict quarantine hit in January was our Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR),” said Mapa.
The LFPR is the percentage of the active workforce in the country. According to Rappler, a decline in LFPR indicates that people have stopped looking for work or are completely disinterested in finding jobs.
The LFPR drops from 62.6 in October 2021 to 60.5 in January. The (pandemic) restrictions had a greater impact on the decline or fall in the number of LFPRs, which also served as the basis for the decline in unemployment rates.
“Pag stricter ang restrictions, nagkakaroon ng mga hurdles sa mga walang trabaho, meaning mas mahirap maghanap ng trabaho sa mga panahong iyan,” he said.
The estimated employment rate in January 2022 (93.6 percent) is also higher than the previous quarter (92.6 percent).
“Jobs available, pareho lang. (Pero) may konting pagbaba in terms of number, in LFPR, noong Enero 2022 kumpara sa resulta noong Oktubre 2021.
Moreover, according to the statistician, the number of Filipinos with jobs or employed people was still higher in January 2022 than in January 2021.
“Ang bilang ng mga taong may trabaho ay tumaas ng 1.77 milyon mula 41.25 milyon noong Enero 2021 hanggang 43.02 milyon noong Enero 2022,” Mapa stated.