The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), in partnership with SM Malls conduct nationwide jobs fair in celebration of Labor Day (May 1). Over 310,000 jobs are offered to qualified applicants. Photo shows applicants line up at Mall Event Center of SM Manila. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) — More Filipino adults found themselves jobless over the last quarter, a survey from the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said.
The survey, conducted June 5 to 8, placed the joblessness rate at 23.2 percent, or equivalent to 10.5 million Filipinos, 4.1 points higher than the 19.1 percent from the first quarter.
Out of this, 11 percent (4.7 million adults) voluntarily left their jobs, higher than the seven percent from March.
Meanwhile, 10 percent (4.4 million adults) of those surveyed were retrenched, contracts for six percent of them were no longer renewed.
The survey was participated in by 1,200 adults nationwide, with sampling error margins of ±3 percent for national percentages and ±6 percent each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Results were first published on the BusinessWorld website.
Meanwhile, some 36 percent said the number of job openings in the next 12 months will rise.
However, the survey showed that net optimism on job availability fell back to “fair” at +17 from last quarter’s “high” +20, as 19 percent of respondents said there would be fewer jobs.
The SWS describes a net optimism score of +30 and above as “very high,” +20 to +29 “high,” +10 to +19 “fair,” +1 to +9 “mediocre,” -9 to zero “low,” and -10 and down “very low.”
Joblessness by age, gender
Joblessness is still higher among women at 31.3 percent in June, 3.7 points more than the 27.6 percent from last quarter.
Among men, 16.9 percent said they were jobless, also an increase from 12.2 percent in March.
Meanwhile, joblessness saw a rise across all age brackets compared to last quarter’s results, which the biggest chunk found among the youngest group:
at least 45 years old – 11 percent (from eight percent)
35-44 years old – 20 percent (from 16 percent)
25-34 years old – 29 percent (from 28 percent)
18-24 years old – 55 percent (from 50 percent).(MNS)