The possible adverse effects of the series of typhoons that hit the country to the employment sector drew concern from an official of the Department of Labor and Employment.
"Definitely, this will affect the employment situation in the country," DOLE Assistant Secretary Dominique Tutay said in an online forum Monday.
The labor official, however, refused to give a projection as to how many workers may be displaced by the string of calamities.
"The official data comes from the Labor Force Survey. They conducted a survey in October and we have yet to receive the result...the survey was also conducted before the typhoon. I cannot comment," said Tutay.
"I don’t have an update yet in terms of the actual affected," she added.
But, Tutay said, the labor department will continue to provide assistance to displaced workers.
She said DOLE will provide emergency employment to some 30,000 to 40,000 individuals in typhoon hit areas through the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.
The TUPAD is a short-term emergency employment program of the DOLE to mitigate the impact of calamities, disasters and epidemics on workers in the informal economy.
On Sunday, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said they already gave the authority for the hiring of 5,000 workers in Isabela and Cagayan to help clean and tidy up the said provinces following the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses.
Earlier this month, the labor department also allocated 5,000 slots for emergency employment for each province in Bicol region, when it was hit by Typhoon "Rolly."
Aside from the Bicol region, the DOLE said it will also allocate funds for the emergency employment in CALABARZON and MIMAROPA which were also affected by typhoon Rolly.