MANILA – Almost 8 million Filipinos are currently underemployed, according to a think tank.
The 18% underemployment rate as of January this year is the highest so far in the term of President Rodrigo Duterte, said Ibon Foundation.
“The underemployment rate of 18 percent as of January 2018 saw a rise from 16.3 percent … the year before,” Ibon said. “This is the highest of all labor force survey rounds during Duterte’s term.
“The number of underemployed Filipinos grew 1.1 million, or from 6.4 million the year before to 7.5 million in January this year,” it said.
Moreover, part-time workers also grew 1.3 million from the year before.
“The government should implement much-needed reforms that prioritize Filipino workers’ interests over big business profits,” said Ibon.
“These include ending contractualization, mandating a P750 across-the-board national minimum wage, and ensuring decent benefits and working conditions,” it added.
Malacañang assured that the government continues to boost the labor sector.
“It is noteworthy to mention that the number of employed persons increased to 41.8 million in January 2018 from 39.3 million in January 2017,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement on Wednesday.
Roque claimed the employment rate surged to 94.7 percent in January this year from 93.4 percent in the same month last year.
In addition, the number of unemployed persons dropped to 5.3 percent in January this year from 6.6 percent in the same month last year, he said./PN
