Philippines' unemployment rate rises to 4.5 per cent in June

MANILA (Xinhua): The Philippines' unemployment rate in June rose to 4.5 per cent from 4.3 per cent in May, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Wednesday (Aug 9).

The PSA head Dennis Mapa told a news conference that the number of unemployed people rose to 2.33 million from 2.17 million in May. The unemployment rate in June 2022 was 6 per cent.

"The top three major industries with the largest drop in employment were fishing and aquaculture; transportation and storage; and arts, entertainment, and recreation," Mapa said.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the government will continue to focus on labour upskilling to improve the employability of Filipinos.

Balisacan noted that the employment rate among the youth between the age of 15 and 24 has expanded.

"As the number of young workers continues to expand, the (government) is exerting efforts to focus on training and upskilling to improve their employability for high-quality and high-paying jobs," Balisacan said in a statement.

Filipinos continue to seek employment abroad for better-paying jobs and work conditions.