Seasonal temp jobs seen behind decline in Aug. unemployment
By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter
EMPLOYERS hired more temporary workers in August, causing unemployment to fall that month, a labor group said.
“The latest drop in the unemployment rate may be attributed to the increase in the hiring of temporary workers in anticipation of the increase in demand of goods and services for the coming Christmas season, as such, temporary,” Partidong Manggagawa Chairman Renato B. Magtubo said in a Viber message.
The unemployment rate in August hit a three-month low of 4.4% from 4.8% a month earlier, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Oct. 6. The year-earlier reading had been 5.3%.
Job quality improved that month as the underemployment rate — a measure of workers seeking additional hours or an additional job — decreased to 11.7% from 15.89% in July. This was also lower than the 14.7% from a year earlier.
“If the country wants to generate more sustainable and quality jobs, our economic managers should provide more support for homegrown industries and fast-track their development,” he said.
Mr. Magtubo added the government must continue to keep the manufacturing and agriculture sectors competitive to generate more jobs.
Manufacturing output rose to a seven-month high in August, posting growth of 8.5%, against the year-earlier 4.6%, the PSA said in a separate report on Oct. 6.
Agriculture and forestry drove the month-on-month improvement in employment that month, with the sector posting an increase of 1.97 million employees.
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan on Friday told reporters that he expects the Philippine Development Plan to foster “the creation of high-quality jobs offering everyone decent pay.”
“We need nothing less than a massive investment to create high-quality jobs,” Mr. Balisacan said.
“That’s why our economic team, and our President, have been marketing the country not only to entrepreneurs here but also to foreign investors… That’s what will create high-quality jobs.”
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in January signed an executive order that adopted the plan, which he said will help the Philippines achieve its goal of becoming an upper middle-income economy by 2025.
Last month, the President signed into law a bill authorizing the creation of a national employment roadmap and an inter-agency body to draft a national strategy for job generation.
The council, which will be headed by the NEDA as well as the Trade and Labor secretaries, will be tasked with assisting local government units in implementing job recovery programs.
