The rate of joblessness in the country has slightly decreased amid the ongoing threat of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The SWS said 25.8 percent of the country’s adult labor force remains unemployed, which is 1.5 percent lower than the 27.3 percent found unemployed in November 2020.
However, it noted that the figure is still 8.3 points higher than the pre-pandemic level of 17.5 percent in December 2019.
“The estimated numbers of jobless are 12.2 million in May 2021 and 12.7 million in November 2020,” the agency said.
The SWS said that the figure consisted of those who voluntarily left their old jobs, those seeking jobs for the first time, or those lost their jobs “due to economic circumstances beyond their control.”
Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the poll body noted that joblessness in the country reached a record-high of 45.5 percent in July 2020.
“It eased to 39.5 percent in September 2020, 27.3 percent in November 2020, and 25.8 percent in May 2021,” it said.
“The average joblessness rate for 2020 is a record-high 37.4 percent, surpassing the previous record average of 28.8% in 2012. The 2019 average was 19.8 percent,” it added.
Joblessness rise in VisMin
The poll results showed that joblessness rose in the Visayas, from 19.1 percent in November 2020 to 28.7 percent in May 2021, as well as in Mindanao, from 17 percent to 23 percent.
Meanwhile, the number of unemployed adults decreased in Metro Manila, from 37.8 percent in November 2020 to 30.8 percent in May 2021; and in Balanced Luzon, from 32.7 percent to 24.2 percent during the same period.
“The 1.5-point decline in the national joblessness rate was due to decreases of nine points in Balance Luzon and seven points in Metro Manila, offset by increases of 10 points in the Visayas and 6 points in Mindanao,” the agency said.
Joblessness drops among women
The nationwide survey found that the number of unemployed women declined, from 34.1 percent to 29 percent, while it hardly changed among men, from 22.2 percent to 23.6 percent.
“The resulting women-men joblessness gap of five points is the lowest since March 2004, when the women-men joblessness gap was just percent points,” the agency said.
Joblessness falls among 25-to-34-year-olds
The rate of unemployment among the 25-to-34-year-olds fell from 33.6 percent to 24.6 percent.
It fell slightly among the 18-to-24-year-olds, from 57.2 percent to 55.5 percent; it hardly changed among those 45 years old and above, from 18 percent to 18.2 percent; while it rose slightly among the 35-to-44-year-olds, from 23.9 percent to 25.6 percent.
“As in past surveys, the joblessness rate remains highest among the 18-24-year-olds among all age groups,” the SWS said.
Joblessness falls slightly in urban, rural areas
Unemployment rate fell slightly in rural areas, from 24.9 percent in November 2020 to 23.3 percent in May 2021, as well as in urban areas, from 29.8 percent to 28 percent during the same period.
“Joblessness hardly varies by locale, with the urban-rural joblessness gap reaching double- digit in only 9 out of 109 surveys since September 1993,” the SWS said.
The First Quarter 2021 survey was conducted from April 28 to May 2, 2021, using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults aged 18 years old and above.