Unemployment dips, underemployment rises in June

[Pumpkin2022]

The Philippines' unemployment rate fell while underemployment climbed in June this year, the Philippine Statistics Authority said on Wednesday. The PSA said the jobless rate was at 3.1 percent in June, which was lower than the 4.1 percent rate seen in May, and the 4.5 percent rate seen in June last year. This meant that 1.62 million Filipino workers were jobless, which was 486,000 fewer than in May and 707,000 fewer than in June last year. National Statistician and PSA undersecretary Dennis Mapa said the underemployment rate meanwhile rose to 21.1 percent in June, from 9.9 percent in May, and 12 percent in June last year. This meant that 1.27 million Filipino workers were looking for extra hours of work or searching for an extra job to augment their income.​

 

[patoowardfan]

While it's encouraging to see the unemployment rate drop, the rise in underemployment highlights the ongoing challenges many Filipinos face in finding sufficient work. Balancing these statistics shows that there’s still work to be done to ensure not just jobs, but quality employment opportunities for everyone.