Rise In Employment Rate Reported

A survey reported by the National Statistics Office showed that the country's employment rate improved in April this year compared the same period in 2011.

The NSO said the April 2012 Labor Force Survey (LFS) reported a 93.1 percent employment rate compared to 92.8 percent recorded in the same period last year.

The 2012 LFS also showed that, except for the National Capital Region, all regions in the country recorded employment rates of over 90 percent.

The NSO said that out of an estimated 62.8 million people 15 years and older, 40.6 million belong to the labor force as of April 2012, compared to 39.7 million recorded last year.

It added that the labor force participation rate (LFPR) in April 2012 was 64.7 percent, compared to 64.2 percent in April 2011.

Among the regions, only the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) recorded an LFPR lower than 60 percent.

Those employed in the services sector comprised the largest group of the labor force, making up more than half (51.4 percent) of the total employed.

Workers in the agriculture sector comprised the second largest group, consisting of one-third (33 percent) of the total employed.

Only 15.6 percent of the total employed were in the industry sector, with the manufacturing sub-sector contributing the largest share (8.4 percent of the total employed).

Among the various occupation groups, the laborers and unskilled workers comprised the largest group making up 33.2 percent of the total employed persons in April 2012. Farmers, forestry workers and fishermen were the second largest group with 14.7 percent share.

According to the NSO, employed persons fall into any of these categories: wage and salary workers, self-employed workers without any paid employee, employers in own family-operated farm or business, and unpaid family workers.

Wage and salary workers are those who work for private households, private establishments, government or government-controlled corporations, and those who work with pay in own family-operated farm or business.

"The majority (55.5 percent) of the total employed population in April 2012 were wage and salary workers, with the largest percentage (42.9 percent of total employed) working for private establishments. Those working for the government or government-controlled corporations accounted for only 8 percent and those working for private households, 4.3 percent. In April 2011, wage and salary workers accounted for 55.0 percent of the total employed," the NSO said.

"Self-employed workers without paid employees comprised 29.3 percent of the total employed in April 2012. The unpaid family workers accounted for 11.9 percent of the total employed. Employers in own family-operated farm or business made up 3.3 percent," it said.

Source: Manila Bulletin – Thu, Jun 21, 2012