The Philippines’ population is expected to reach 107 million by the end of 2018 and to 109 million by 2019, according to the Commission on Population and Development.
The agency says Region 4-A, Calabarzon, is now the most populated, and that from 14 million in 2015 that number is projected to increase to 16.1 million in 2019.
The National Capital Region or Metro Manila is expected to have 13.8 million people and Central Luzon 12.2 million by the end of next year.
These three regions hold almost 35 percent or a third of the country’s total population.
The number of people in the least populated region, the Cordillera Administrative Region, is projected to increase by only 100,000 next year or 1.8 million people in total.
Based on the agency’s study, 70 million of the country’s population are 15 to 64 years old.
The agency projects the country’s labor sector to increase by 1.4 million in 2019. POPCOM Executive Director Antonio Perez III says this is a good indication of a stronger and larger workforce next year.
This means, however, that the government will be compelled to offer more job opportunities for the growing number of workers for next year, not to mention the 18 percent of the population who are now underemployed or unemployed.
Perez says the country fared well when it came to the workers’ dependency ratio or the number of dependents the current labor force supports.
“Ang ideal ay silang manggagawa susuportahan ang sarili nila at saka isa pang dependent. Ang tawag doon dependency ratio na 50. So kapag malapit ka sa 50, tamang-tama iyan sa iyong populasyon. Ang Pilipinas ngayon nasa dependency ratio na 54, so konti nalang maaabot na natin yung 50,” Perez said.
He says a large number of the population prefers to seek job opportunities in the major cities.
He recommends the local governments, however, to strengthen the agriculture sector in the provinces to provide employment to the job seekers in the countryside and to minimize urban migration.