The country recorded 4.14 million jobless Filipinos in April, higher than the 3.44 million registered in March, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.
Unemployment worsened to 8.7 percent in April from 7.1 percent in March, based on the results of the PSA’s labor force survey released Tuesday.
Filipinos were left jobless in April following the reimposition of stricter quarantine measures in the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus, which is composed of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.
The sudden spike in COVID-19 cases prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to place the NCR Plus under the most restrictive enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from March 29 to April 11.
The quarantine status in NCR Plus was eventually downgraded to a modified enhanced community (MECQ) from April 12 to 30. To date, Metro Manila and its nearby provinces are now under the more relaxed general community quarantine (GCQ) until June 30.
Metro Manila reported the highest unemployment rate for April, which stood at 14.4 percent, the PSA said. This translates to 875,000jobless Filipinos.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the rise in the number of unemployed Filipinos no longer came as a surprise since stricter quarantine restrictions had been imposed in the past months due to rising COVID-19 infections.
But Roque expressed confidence that the further easing of quarantine restrictions would give more Filipinos the opportunity to return to work.
“The data, unfortunately, reflects the impact of the temporary closure of the economy,” he said in Filipino. “But because of this three-pronged strategy, I think, we will recover.”
Roque was referring to the government’s three strategies that aim to stimulate job creation.
These include the safe reopening of the economy, the full implementation of the recovery package, and the timely implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination program.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday admitted that there would be no improvement in employment in the second quarter.
However, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the current labor market may improve with the rollout of vaccines for A4 categories of priority groups, which includes workers in the public and private sectors.
“This is the only way to sustain our employment recovery and economic recovery efforts,” he said.
“We also reiterate our call upon all workers and businesses to continue the strict implementation of the minimum public health standards, and occupational safety and health policies. We need to instill discipline in adhering to basic [measures such as the] proper wearing of face masks and face shields, washing of hands, and social distancing,” Bello said.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), meanwhile, said some 15,000 job opportunities abroad were available to Filipinos in virtual job fairs on Independence Day.
In a Facebook video, POEA chief Bernard Olalia urged Filipinos who are looking to work abroad, land-based, or sea-based to join the online jobs fair.
“There are 15,000 job offers including factory workers, construction workers, waiters, cleaners, among others. For those who would like to be seafarers or to work on a ship, there are available slots for able seaman and messman,” he said.
As of Tuesday, Olalia said the number of vacancies or job orders was at 15,654.
The virtual job fair of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Cagayan de Oro City started on Monday and will run until June 12, while the activity in DOLE-Baguio will be held on June 12.
The online job fair in NCR will be held at the POEA.
“You can choose your preferred job and agency, submit your digital or soft copy of your requirements and wait for the call of the agency regarding your scheduled interview,” he said.