THE number of jobless Filipinos declined slightly in the first quarter from the fourth quarter last year, the polling firm Social Weather Stations said Monday.
SWS said the survey, conducted among 1,200 respondents, showed that the number of jobless Filipinos went down to 22.9 percent or 10.4 million in the first quarter this year against 25.1 percent or 11.2 million in the last quarter of 2016.
SWS revealed the results of its latest survey even as Senator Juan Edgardo Angara called on his colleagues in the Senate to cross party lines and approve his proposed measure that will give employment to jobless workers in rural areas.
He said his Senate Bill 947, “An Act Providing for Rural Employment Assistance Program and Appropriating Funds thereof,” or REAP, was now pending at the committee on social justice, welfare and rural development.
He said the lack of significant economic growth in the rural areas was likely contributing to the rising unemployment rate in the countryside.
“Many studies have shown that poverty in our country is most severe and widespread in the rural areas, where almost 80 percent of the poor population live,” Angara said.
Among the jobless in the first quarter, 11.2 percent or 5.1 million voluntarily left their jobs, 8.6 percent or 3.9 million lost their jobs due to circumstances beyond their control, and 3.1 percent or 1.4 million were first-time job seekers.
Adult labor force participation increased slightly to 72.2 percent or 45.5 million from the previous quarter’s 72.1 percent or 44.8 million.
SWS said its definition of “joblessness” was different from the government’s definition of “unemployment.” It defined jobless people as those without a job but were looking for a job.
Those who were not working, without a job or not looking for one were excluded.
But the net optimism that they will get a job in the next 12 months was down to 44 percent in the first quarter compared with last year’s 48 percent.
Optimism that there would be more jobs in the next year was at 44 percent in the first quarter compared to the previous quarter’s 48 percent.
Those who believed that there would be fewer jobs in the next year rose to 15 percent in the first quarter from the previous quarter’s 12 percent.
Those who thought that job prospects would not change were steady at 27 percent compared to 2016’s last quarter of 28 percent.
The latest survey from March 25 to 28 had a sampling error margin of ±3 percent. With Macon Ramos-Araneta