MANILA (UCAN): Jobseekers, trade unions and Caritas Philippines called on the Philippine government to address the rising unemployment rate after official data showed a hike in the number of jobless people in the country has yet to recover from pandemic-related economic woes.
“This is a national problem. There is, of course, a faith aspect or dimension to it but this involves policy-making and strong political will,” Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo of Kidapawan, is head of Caritas Philippines.
Echoing the general mood, Marla Casinas, a commerce graduate who has been applying for jobs for months without success, said, “I graduated in April 2022. Until now, I have been jobless. There are many of us who apply and I came from an ordinary school in the province… so maybe they [companies] prioritise graduates from big universities and schools,” she remarked.
The data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on April 11 showed the number of unemployed Filipinos increased in February this year.
Those out of work stood at 2.47 million in February, a rise of 4.8 per cent compared with January when unemployment was pegged at 2.37 million.
This is a national problem. There is, of course, a faith aspect or dimension to it but this involves policy-making and strong political will
Bishop Bagaforo
However, the figure is lower than the 3.13 million jobless in February last year, PSA chief and national statistician, Claire Dennis Mapa, said at an April 11 press conference.
“We’re still lower than last year although higher compared to last month. This shows that we have not yet completely healed from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Business establishments are still …” Mapa said.
In 2020, over 26 per cent of business establishments in the country closed due to the pandemic. Official data showed out of the 2,135 companies, 25.9 per cent closed permanently while 52 per cent were in partial operation.
Diwa Gerona, a carpenter and father of three, claimed he had to borrow money from loan sharks after his construction company closed in December 2022.
“There were very minimal customers. Very few had the money to invest in building a house or to improve real properties. The construction industry takes a lot of time to recover,” Gerona, who now works as a part-time tricycle driver, explained, adding that he had applied for other jobs but was rejected because of his age.
The Federation of Free Workers recently asked the president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to help to save more than 500 workers who were being retrenched by a state-owned corporation.
Sonny Matula, federation president, said that the restructuring would add to the rising unemployment rate and would set a “dangerous” precedent for other corporations to save costs on labour.
