THE chair of the House labor and employment committee urged the government to make training and upskilling programs more easily accessible to Filipinos as a countermeasure to underemployment.
This as the country’s underemployment rate increased even as the number of unemployed Filipinos fell to its second lowest rate since April 2005 or nearly two decades ago.
“Nagagalak tayo na mas maraming kababayan natin ang nakapaghanap ng kabuhayan. But the increase in underemployment is perhaps a clue that our fellow Filipinos need more training to improve their viability for higher quality jobs,” Rizal 4th District Rep. Fidel Nograles said.
“Kaya’t mahalaga na damihan pa natin ang mga training at upskilling programs para sa mga kababayan natin. Kung hindi libre, lumikha tayo ng sistema para mas madali nilang mabayaran nila ang training,” he added.
The latest Labor Force Survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released this week revealed that the Philippines’ unemployment rate improved to 3.1 percent in June 2024, equivalent to 1.62 million Filipinos. The unemployment rate was 4.1 percent or 2.11 million Filipinos in May this year, and 4.5 perceng or 2.33 million Filipinos in June 2023.
The figure almost matches the record low 3.07 percent set in December 2023.
The number of underemployed Filipinos, however, increased to 6.08 million, or a rate of 12.1 percent, higher than the 4.82 million or 9.9 percent this May 2024, and 5.87 million or 12 percent in June the previous year.
Nograles lauded the Marcos administration for its efforts in providing more jobs to Filipinos.
“Over these past months we have been making great strides in terms of providing jobs to our countrymen. Naniniwala tayo na habang patuloy na inaayos ng pamahalaan ang iba’t ibang sektor at maging ang investment climate ng bansa, matutugunan din ang kalidad ng trabaho na makakatulong sa mga kababayan natin na taasan ang kalidad ng pamumuhay ng kanilang mga pamilya,” said the lawmaker.
