Labor groups urge gov’t to improve quality of available jobs
Even though the country’s employment rate improved in August, the quality of available jobs remains poor, with Filipinos still enduring low wages and contractualization, two labor groups said on Thursday.
In separate statements, the Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (Sentro) and Labor Education and Research Network (LEARN) stressed the need to examine more “critically” the labor force survey released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Wednesday.
“The latest Labor Force Survey may show more Filipinos employed and joining the workforce, but beneath the surface lies a deeper crisis: job generation remains mediocre and the quality of work continues to decline,” Sentro said.
According to data from the PSA, the employment rate for August this year was estimated at 96.1 percent, higher than July’s 94.7 percent, and slightly above the recorded rate in August 2024, which was at 96 percent.
For Sentro, the increase in employment rate is “surprisingly positive” given recent challenges, such as “trade turbulence, corruption-induced flooding and a deepening political crisis,” but argued that this was due to the “resilience” of Filipino workers, not because of the government.
Real measure
“Workers’ resilience must not [be used as a ] substitute for state responsibility. The real measure of progress is not how many Filipinos have jobs—but how many have decent, secure, and meaningful work,” Sentro said.
The group noted that underemployment, although down to 10.7 percent in August compared to 11.2 percent a year ago, “remains stubbornly high.”
It further said the decline in manufacturing jobs “exposes the country’s worsening deindustrialization” as it urged the government to adopt a “clear industrial policy that rebuilds the country’s productive base, protects local industries, and promotes value-added manufacturing.”
For its part, LEARN said that although data from the survey shows an increase in jobs, comparing the current rates to those recorded last year “point to little to no significant change in the national situation.”
The group added that although youth employment rose to 88.3 percent, higher than the 88 percent recorded last year, the quality of available jobs remain “problematic.”
