700K jobs still needed to return to pre-pandemic levels — PSA
Following the release of the Philippines’ June employment figures, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said that the country still needs to open 700,000 more jobs to return to its pre-pandemic levels.
In a briefing, National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa said that compared to pre-pandemic levels, when the country’s unemployment count was 2.26 million, the latest figure for jobless Filipinos was 2.99 million in June- still exceeds pre-pandemic records by 700,000.
“There are many factors [why unemployment remains higher than pre-pandemic levels]. Of course, there’s population, which is rising, so many participate in the labor force; so that’s also a factor in our labor force participation rate,” explained Mapa.
To generate these jobs, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said that Filipinos must shift to an “endemic mindset” to allow greater economic mobility and activity.
He added that face-to-face classes’ immediate and safe resumption is expected to increase domestic activities and prevent future productivity losses.
“Adjusting to the ‘new normal’ and gradually shifting to an endemic mindset is critical in generating more employment and strengthening our domestic economy,” Balisacan concluded.
