SUMMARY:

• Labor force population in January 2002 was 4.4% higher than the estimate of 31.7 million a year ago. Labor force participation rate, likewise, increased to 66.4% from 65.5%.
• Employed persons totaled 29.7 million in January 2002, up by 5.7% over January 2001.

  • Employment in agriculture increased by 7.4% to 11.0 million from 10.3 million a year ago. Its share to total employed also increased to 37.1% from 36.5%.

  • In industry, employment decreased by 86 thousand or by 1.8%. Its share to total employed, likewise, decreased by 1.2 percentage point.

  • Employment in services increased by 943 thousand or by 7.2%. Its share to total employed increased to 47.5% from 46.8% last year.

• Unemployment rate decreased to 10.3% from 11.3% in January last year. 
• Underemployment rate declined by 1.0 percentage point, from 16.9% in January last year to 15.9% this year.

HIGHLIGHTS

Persons aged 15 years old and over...

• Persons aged 15 years old and over reached 49.8 million in January 2002, higher by 2.9 percent from 48.4 million a year ago.

Of the 49.8 million persons 15 years old and over, there were those who joined the labor force...

• The total labor force population in January 2002 was estimated at 33.1 million, up by 4.4 percent from its level of 31.7 million a year ago. 

• The labor force participation rate, likewise, increased to 66.4 percent from 65.5 percent. 

• Persons not in the labor force like housewives, students, disabled and retired persons slightly increased by 0.1 percent, from 16.720 million a year ago to 16.742 million this year.

   Of the 33.1 million persons in the labor force, there were those who were employed and those who were not...  

• The number of employed persons in January 2002 increased to 29.7 million, up by 5.7 percent, from 28.1 million last year of the same period. 

• Likewise, the corresponding employment rate increased to 89.7 percent from 88.7 percent. 

Of the 29.7 million persons employed, there were those either working in agriculture, industry or services...

• Only the industry sector experienced a decline in employment levels during the reference quarter. The number of employed in this sector decreased by 86 thousand or by 1.8 percent. 

• The services sector increased its level by 943 thousand or by 7.2 percent to 14.1 million from 13.2 million a year ago. Its share to total employed increased to 47.5 percent from 46.8 percent. 

• Employment in the agricultural sector continued to increase to 11.0 million in January 2002 from 10.3 million last year. Its share to total employed increased to 37.1 percent from 36.5 percent.

The employed in services...

• Employment in the services sector was registered at 14.1 million in January 2002, a 7.2 percent increase from 13.2 million recorded in the same period last year. 

• The wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and personal and household sub-sector accounted for the largest share, increasing employment by 554 thousand. Private households with employed persons came in second with 160 thousand increases. Transport, storage and communication ranked third with an 86 thousand increase in employment. Except for other community, social and personal services sub-sector where the number decreased by 53 thousand, all the rest of the remaining sub-sectors also increased in levels ranging from eight (8) thousand to 48 thousand.

The employed in agriculture...

• The unpaid family workers contributed substantially to the increase in the number of employed in the agriculture sector at 529 thousand while own account workers accounted for an additional 336 thousand. The number of wage and salary workers in the agriculture sector decreased by 113 thousand.

The employed in industry...

• Employment in the industry sector decreased to 4.6 million in January 2002 from 4.7 million last year. Its share to total employed also decreased by 1.2 percentage point. The decline in employment was due to decreases posted in manufacturing (55 thousand), construction (32 thousand), and mining and quarrying (3 thousand).

The employed by occupation...

• Among the occupational group, laborers and unskilled workers posted the highest increase in employment by 15.7 percent to 8.9 million from 7.7 million. Officials of government and special interest organizations, corporate executives, managers, managing proprietors and supervisors followed next with an increase of 289 thousand (10.4%) to 3.1 million from 2.8 million. 

• The other groups that posted increases were service workers and shop and marker sales workers (177 thousand), professionals (115 thousand), technicians and associate professionals (51 thousand) and clerks (3 thousand).

Of the 29.7 million employed, there were those who were paid wages and salaries, worked on their account, or worked for the family...

• The increase in the January 2002 employment was attributed largely to the increase in the number of own-account workers, which came mostly from the services sector. The number of own-account workers increased to 11.3 million in January 2002 from 10.5 million a year earlier. Own account workers under the services sector registered an increase of 11.0 percent, from 4.3 million to 4.8 million. 

• Unpaid family workers added 800 thousand to the total employed with the agricultural sector contributing much to the increase at 529 thousand. 

• The number of wage and salary workers also increased by four (4) thousand, from 14.406 million to 14.410 million.

The employed by region...

• All regions exhibited increases in employment levels with Southern Tagalog posting the highest increment of 280 thousand. The National Capital Region and Western Visayas registered second and third with an increase of 215 thousand and 209 thousand, respectively. Ilocos Region registered the least increase in employment at eleven thousand. 

• Twelve of the sixteen regions showed increases in employment rate with Central Mindanao posting the highest increase of 4.3 percentage points. Central Visayas and the National Capital Region followed with 2.5 and 1.8 percentage points, respectively. 

• Only four regions displayed decreases in employment rate from January 2001 to January 2002. These were Caraga (88.9 percent from 90.3 percent), Southern Mindanao (89.3 percent from 89.8 percent), Ilocos Region (88.8 percent from 89.2 percent) and Cagayan Valley (95.6 percent from 95.7 percent)

The employed by number of hours worked...

• Full-time workers or those who worked for 40 hours or more declined to 17.9 million in January 2002 from 19.3 million. Likewise, its share to total employment decreased by 8.4 percentage points, from 68.6 percent to 60.2 percent. 

• Those who worked for less than 40 hours increased both in levels and proportion to total employment. The number rose to 11.3 million in January 2002 from 8.5 million last year. Its share, likewise, increased by 7.9 percentage points, from 30.2 percent to 38.1 percent.

Of the employed, there were those who desired more hours of work, the underemployed...

• The number of underemployed persons or those who desired additional hours of work decreased by 20 thousand to 4.724 million in January 2002 from 4.744 million a year ago. The corresponding underemployment rate dropped to 15.9 percent this year from 16.9 percent last year. 

• Almost seven out of ten underemployed persons worked for less than 40 hours in January 2002. A greater proportion of them (63.4%) were found working in the rural areas than in the urban. 

• The services sector recorded the highest decrease in underemployment at 90 thousand (5.4%), while the industry sector reduced its underemployment by 35 thousand (4.3%). The agricultural registered an increase in underemployment at 107 thousand (4.8%).

And there were those who looked for work and did not find any, the unemployed...

• The unemployment rate in January 2002 was estimated at 10.3 percent. This was 1.0 percentage point lower than the estimate last year. 

• Unemployment levels likewise decreased by 5.7 percent to 3.4 million in January 2002 from 3.6 million last year. 

• Six regions posted a double-digit unemployment rate with Metro Manila posting the highest at 16.1 percent. Central Luzon also posted a double-digit unemployment rate but with a decline to 11.5 from 12.2 percent. The other regions with double-digit unemployment rates were Southern Tagalog (11.4%), Ilocos Region (11.2%), Caraga (11.1%) and Southern Mindanao (10.7%).

Source: National Statistics Office

      Manila, Philippines

Page last revised: March 13, 2002