BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – The number of underemployed persons, or those working individuals who seek overtime or another part-time job, has decreased by 12.8 percent in April this year, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Western Visayas reported.
The above statistics accounted for 454, 000 of the 3.406 million employed persons in Region 6, the PSA said.
The underemployment rate in April decreased by 0.2 percent compared to the recorded underemployment rate in January 2024 at 13.0 percent and 0.3 percentage points higher compared to April 2023 at 12.5 percent.
“The number of underemployed persons in April 2024 recorded at 454 thousand, decreased by 5 thousand persons when compared in April 2023 with 459 thousand and 2 thousand persons compared to 456 thousand underemployed persons in January 2024,” the PSA said.
Likewise, the PSA-6 reported that more than 62 percent of the region’s population 15 years old and above was in the labor force
In April 2024, the agency said the labor force participation rate (LFPR) in Western Visayas was 62.4 percent which accounted for 3.547 million of the 5.685 million persons who were 15 years old and above.
The above number recorded a 0.5 percentage point increase from 61.9 percent of the reported LFPR in January 2024 and a 3.3 percentage point decrease from 65.7 percent recorded in April 2023, the PSA-6 said.
In terms of numbers, the persons who were in the labor force reached 3.547 million in April 2024, a decrease of 125, 000 persons compared to 3.672 million in April 2023 and 37, 000 persons compared to 3.510 million in January 2024.
In addition, the PSA-6 said the employment rate, or the proportion of employed persons to the total labor force, was estimated at 96.0 percent which accounted for 3.406 million of the 3.547 million population in the labor force in April 2024.
“It was 0.5 percentage points lower than the reported employment rate in January 2024 and 0.3 percentage points higher than in April 2023 at 95.7 percent,” the PSA-6 added.
The number of employed persons decreased also in April 2024 by 108, 000 people compared to the employed persons in April 2023, however, this was more than 19, 000 employed persons when compared to January 2024.
The PSA-6 added that the unemployment rate dropped to 4.0 percent in April 2024, or a 0.3 percentage point lower compared to April 2023 and higher by 0.5 percentage point in January 2024.
In terms of numbers, the PSA-6 stressed the unemployed persons in April 2024 were recorded at 142, 000 people, which decreased by 16, 000 persons compared to the 158, 000 unemployed persons in April 2023.
“This also recorded a surplus of 19 thousand persons from the recorded 123, 000 unemployed persons in January 2024. The labor force population in April 2024 was estimated at 3.547 million. This translates to a labor force participation rate (LFPR) of 62.4 percent,” the PSA-6 said.
The PSA-6 also recorded 3.406 million total employed persons in the region, which registered a regional employment rate of 96.0 percent.
On the other hand, the number of unemployed persons reached 142, 000, which resulted in an unemployment rate of 4.0 percent in April 2024. Underemployed persons also reached 454, 000, or an underemployment rate of 12.8 percent./PN
