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Release Date :
Reference Number :
2019-181

More  than  60  percent  of  the population  15  years old  and  over  are  in  the labor force

In April 2019, the total population 15 years old and over was estimated at 72.5 million wherein the number of persons who were in the labor force was reported at 44.5 million. This placed the labor force participation rate (LFPR) at 61.4 percent, which means that three in five of the population aged 15 years and over were either  employed or unemployed.

Region X (Northern Mindanao) had the highest reported LFPR at 73.5 percent while the lowest LFPR reported was in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)  at 55.0 percent(Table 1 and Figure 1).

Figure 1

 

Employment rate is recorded at 94.9 percent

The total number of employed persons was estimated at 42.2 million.  The proportion of employed persons to the total labor force, also known as the employment rate, was reported at 94.9 percent(Table 1 and Figure 2).

Seven of the 17 regions, namely: ARMM (91%),NCR (93.7%),Ilocos Region  (94.1%),Bicol Region (94.2%),Central Visayas (94.5%),CALABARZON (94.7%), and Central Luzon (94.8%) registered an employment rate lower than the national figure (Table 1 and Figure 2).

Figure 2

 

More males are employed than females

Three in every five (61.4%) of the estimated 42.2 million employed persons in April 2019 were males.  Employed females were reported at 38.6 percent of the total employed persons (Table 3 and Figure 3).

The largest number of employed persons was in the age group 25 to 34 years with 27.1 percent of the total employed.  Employed persons aged 35 to 44 comprised the second largest group (23.1%) followed by the age group 45 to 54 years at 18.4 percent.

Figure 3

 

More than half of the employed persons are working in services sector

The employed persons were grouped in three broad sectors, namely: agriculture, industry, and services sector.  Workers in the services sector composed the largest proportion of the employed population.  These employed persons made up 58.5 percent of the total employed in April 2019 and 56.4 percent in April 2018.  Workers in the agriculture sector composed the second largest group making up 22.3 percent in April 2019 and 23.9 percent in April 2018.  Workers in the industry sector made up the smallest group registering 19.2 percent in April 2019 and 19.7 percent in April 2018(Table 4 and Figure 4).

Classified according to sub-sector or major industry groups, workers in the wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles composed the biggest percentage of the total employed persons in April 2019 (20.3%).  Those in the agriculture, hunting and forestry ranked next at 19.4 percent of the total employed in April 2019 (Table 4).

Figure 4

 

More than one-fourth of employed persons are in elementary occupations

Among the occupation groups, workers in elementary occupations made up the largest group making up 26.5 percent of the total employed persons in April 2019 and  26.6 percent in April 2018(Table 5 and Figure 5).  Service and sales workers were the second largest group at 18.7 percent in April 2019, followed by skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers (11.8%) and managers (11.0%).  In April 2018, managers were the second largest group of workers (16.0%), followed by service and sales workers (14.8%) and skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers (12.5%) (Table 5 and Figure 5).

Figure 5

 

More than 60 percent of the employed persons are wage and salary workers

Employed persons were categorized as wage and salary workers, self-employed without any paid employee, employer in own family-operated farm or business, and worked without pay in own family-operated farm or business or unpaid family workers.

Wage and salary workers are those who work for private households, private establishments, government or government corporations, and those who work with pay in own family-operated farm or business. 

In April 2019, the wage and salary workers made up 63.3 percent of the total employed persons. Those who worked in private establishments accounted for the largest share (49.7%) and those working in government or government corporations accounted  at 9.1 percent (Table 6).  About 27.6 percent of the total employed persons were  self-employed without any paid employee or those who were engaged in self-employment.  The unpaid family workers made up 6.4 percent and the employer in own family-operated farm or business at 2.7 percent.  In April 2018, wage and salary workers registered at 63.8 percent of the total employed persons.  Those who worked in private establishments made up 50.3 percent, and those working in government or government corporations accounted at 8.4 percent (Table 6).

Classified according to broad industry group, three in every five (61.5%) wage and salary workers and self-employed without any paid employee (57.6%) were in the services sector.   Those unpaid family workers (54.7%) and employer in own-family operated farm or business (50.3%) were in the agriculture sector (Table 7 and Figure 6).

Figure 6

 

Almost sixty eight percent (67.6%) of the total employed persons are full-time workers

Employed persons are classified as either full-time workers or part-time workers.  Full-time workers are those who work for 40 hours or more during the reference week while part-time workers work for less than 40 hours.

Of the total employed persons in April 2019, 67.6 percent were full-time workers, while   31.3 percent were part-time workers (Table 8).  In April 2018, full time workers comprised 68.0 percent of the total employed persons, while 31.0 percent were part-time workers.  Those with a job but not at work were accounted at 1.1 percent in both April 2019 and    April 2018  (Table 8). 

Underemployment rate is registered at 13.5 percent

The underemployed persons or those employed persons who express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job, or to have additional job, or to have a new job with longer working hours were estimated at 5.7 million persons corresponding to an underemployment rate of 3.5 percent(Tables 1 and 2).

By sector, 47.6 percent of the underemployed persons in April 2019 worked in the services sector, while 34.0 percent were in the agriculture sector.  Those in the industry sector were accounted at 18.4 percent(Figure 7).

Underemployed persons who work for less than 40 hours in a week are called visibly underemployed.  They accounted sixty percent of the total underemployed in  April 2019.  By comparison, the underemployed persons who worked for 40 hours or more in a week made up 38.1 percent (Table 9).

Figure 7

 

Unemployment rate reaches 5.1 percent

In April 2019, the number of unemployed persons was 2.3 million resulting to an unemployment rate of 5.1 percent(Tables 1 and 2).  Among the regions with unemployment rates higher than the national figure were ARMM (9.0%), NCR (6.3%), Ilocos Region (5.9%), Bicol Region (5.8%), Central Visayas (5.5%), CALABARZON (5.3%), and Central Luzon (5.2%)   (Table 1 and Figure 8).

Figure 8

There were more unemployed males (62.7%) than unemployed females (37.3%) (Table 3).  By educational attainment, 26.4 percent of the unemployed were junior high school graduates while 23.8 percent were college graduates (Table 10).

Six in nine persons who are not in the labor force are women

In April 2019, about 28 million or 38.6 percent of the total population 15 years old and over were not in the labor force (Table 3).  These include housewives, students, persons with disability, and those who have retired from their work.  About 68.0 percent of those not in the labor force were women.

By age group, 43.5 percent of those not in the labor force belonged to the age group 15 to 24 years(Table 3 and Figure 9).

Figure 9

 

 

  • The labor force population in April 2019 was estimated at 44.5 million. This translates to a labor force participation rate (LFPR) of 61.4 percent.
  • Total employed persons were approximately 42.2 million, resulting to a national employment rate of 94.9 percent.
  • More than half (58.5%) of the total employed were in the services sector,  22.3 percent were in the agriculture sector and 19.2 percent were in the industry sector.
  • Workers in elementary occupations made up the largest proportion of employed persons as they comprised 26.5 percent of the total employed population.
  • Total unemployed persons were estimated at 2.3 million which translates to an unemployment rate of 5.1 percent.
  • Underemployment rate was estimated at 13.5 percent.

 

 

(Sgd.)CLAIRE DENNIS S. MAPA, Ph.D.
Undersecretary
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General

 

 

TECHNICAL NOTES

 

The Labor Force Survey (LFS) is a nationwide quarterly survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) during the months of January, April, July, and October.  For this release, the data being presented are based on the final results of the April 2019 round of the LFS.

The reference period used in the survey is the past seven (7) days preceding the date of interview of the enumerator.

The concepts and definitions used in the survey can be found in PSA Integrated Survey of Households (ISH) Bulletins.  Some are given below:

a. Labor Force – refers to the population 15 years old and over who contribute to the production of goods and services in the country. It comprises the  employed and unemployed.

b. Employed – refers to persons in the labor force who are reported either as at work or with a job or business although not at work.  Persons at work are those who did some work, even for an hour during the reference period.

c. Unemployed – refers to persons in the labor force who are reported as:

1.   without work; and
2.   currently available for work; and
3.   seeking work or not seeking work due to the following reasons:

i. belief that no work is available, or
ii. awaiting results of previous job application, or
iii. because of temporary illness or disability, or
iv. bad weather, or
v. waiting for rehire or job recall.

d.   Underemployed – refers to employed persons who express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or an additional job, or a new job with longer working hours.

e.   Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) – refers to the proportion of total labor force to the total household population 15 years old and over.

f.   Employment Rate – refers to the proportion of employed persons to the total labor force.

g.   Unemployment Rate – refers to the proportion of unemployed persons to the total labor force.

h.   Underemployment Rate – refers to the proportion of underemployed persons to  total employed persons

          

  • Starting January 2012 LFS, the codes for industry adopted the 2009 Philippine Standard Industrial Classification (PSIC).  Prior to this, codes for industry used the 1994 PSIC.
  • Question on vocational course was introduced in the January 2012 Labor Force Survey (LFS) questionnaire.
  • Starting April 2016 round, the LFS adopted the 2013 Master Sample Design, with a sample size of approximately 45,000 households.
  • The 2012 Philippine Standard Occupational Classification (PSOC) was adopted starting April 2016. The 1992 PSOC had been used prior to April 2016.
  • Starting with the April 2016 LFS round, the population projections based on the 2010 Census of Population and Housing (2010 CPH) was adopted to generate the labor force statistics.
  • Overseas Filipino Workers are not considered part of the labor force in the Philippines. Hence, in the LFS, data on economic characteristics of household members who are overseas workers are not collected.  For the LFS reports, they are excluded in the estimation of the size of working population, that is, population aged 15 years and older, and in the estimation of the labor force.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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