APRIL 1997
PHILIPPINE LABOR FORCE SURVEY
HIGHLIGHTS: APRIL 1997 OVER APRIL 1996
LABOR FORCE
The estimated national labor force population in April 1997 reached
31.4 million persons. Last year's comparative estimate was 30.7 million
persons.
The corresponding labor force participation rate (LFPR) or the proportion
of those in the labor force to the working age population was estimated
at 68.8 percent. Last year's estimate was 69.1 percent. The LFPR for the
April survey round has always been observed as the highest compared with
the estimates from the other three survey rounds due to the entrance of
graduates in the job market.
Meanwhile, the number of persons who were not in the labor force like
housewives, students, disabled persons, etc. totalled 14.3 million. Last
year's figure was 13.7 million.
EMPLOYMENT
The April 1997 round of the Labor Force Survey (LFS) reflected a national
employment rate of 89.6. The estimate in April last year was 89.1 percent.
Among regions, Metro Manila recorded the lowest employment rate at
85.5 percent. The second lowest employment rate was recorded in Region
VI at 87.3 percent followed by Region III at 87.8 percent. The highest
employment rate which also had the lowest labor force participation rate
(LFPR) was registered in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao at 95.4 percent.
In terms of levels, the number of employed persons was estimated at
28.1 million. Last year's estimate reached 27.4 million. The regions which
registered the highest employment levels were Region IV (3.7 million),
Metro Manila (3.6 million) and Central Luzon (2.6 million). The regions
with the least number of employed persons were Cordillera Administrative
Region (585 thousand), Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (664 thousand)
and CARAGA (894 thousand).
Broken down by sector, the services sector outranked the agricultural
sector in terms of levels and proportion to total employment. This was
also the same pattern recorded last January 1997 survey round. The share
to total employment of the services sector was 41.8 percent as compared
with that of the agricultural sector of 41.3 percent. The industry sector
had a share of 16.9 percent. The corresponding shares in April 1996 were
recorded at 40.5 percent, 43.8 percent and 15.7 percent, respectively.
Occupation-wise, agricultural workers had the largest employment with
11.5 million workers or 40.8 percent of the total workforce. Production
and related workers, transport equipment operators and laborers were second
at 6.5 million (23.3 percent). Administrative workers numbered the least
at 514 thousand or 1.8 percent. The corresponding April 1996 levels were
11.9 million, 6.0 million and 425 thousand, respectively.
Categorized by class of worker, wage and salaried workers comprised
the highest number with 47.6 percent of the total employed. Own-account
workers accounted for 37.1 percent of the total workforce while unpaid
family workers shared the least at 15.3 percent. Corresponding percentages
in April 1996 were recorded at 45.3 percent, 37.9 percent and 16.8 percent.
In terms of hours worked, employed persons working 40 hours and over
totalled 18.0 million or a share of 64.0 percent. Persons working less
than 40 hours reached 9.5 million or 33.8 percent of the total employed.
The April 1996 shares were registered at 55.2 percent and 42.8 percent,
respectively.
The April 1997 LFS revealed that a total of 6.6 million or 23.4 percent
of the employed were underemployed or wanting more hours of work. Last
year's figure was 6.1 million or 22.2 percent of the total employed. Meanwhile,
visible underemployment rate or the proportion of underemployed persons
who work for less than 40 hours during the reference week and wanted additional
work to total employed was posted at 11.8 percent. Last year's estimate
was 13.1 percent.
UNEMPLOYMENT
The April 1997 LFS yielded a national unemployment rate of 10.4 percent.
The estimate last year was registered at 10.9 percent. The April estimate
usually registers the highest unemployment rate from among the four rounds
of the Labor Force Survey due principally to the bulk of new graduates
looking for work at this time of the year.
Level-wise, the number of unemployed persons in April 1997 reached
3.3 million. Last year's level was recorded at 3.4 million.