Unemployment rate declined to 4.8 percent in February, but getting a secure work remains a challenge for many Filipinos as the number of job seekers increased, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported. Based on the PSA Labor Force Survey covering February 2023, the country’s jobless rate dropped to 4.8 percent from 6.4 percent in the same month last year, but remained unchanged from January’s levels. There were 2.47 million jobless Filipinos in the second month of the year, down 21 percent from 3.13 million a year earlier. However, this number increased by four percent compared with last January’s 2.37 million. In briefing Monday, April 11, National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa said the increase in unemployment count from January’ tally was due to influx of people ages 15 and above joining the workforce. PSA data showed that the country’s labor force participation rate rose to 66.6 percent in February, up from 64.5 percent in the previous month. This translates to an increase of 1.5 million Filipinos joining the workforce on a month-on-month basis. Mapa noted that the labor force participation rate continuously increasing since July 2022 on the back of easing quarantine restrictions. However, not all job seekers were getting hired. “We can see that not all job seekers joining the labor force were able to land a job, that’s an unfortunate fact. In February, 1.45 million people were hired, but around 100,000 people who want to work can’t get hired,” the PSA chief said. Meanwhile, the underemployment rate improved to 12.9 percent from January's 14.1 percent and a year ago’s 14 percent. In a separate statement, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said the improving employment statistics only suggest that the Philippine labor market is steadily recovering. “The lifting of various restrictions that previously impeded employment opportunities has resulted in an increase in job prospects for Filipino workers,” Balisacan said. Balisacan said the unemployment rate among the youth, defined as individuals aged 15 to 24, also decreased significantly from 14.2 percent in February 2022 to 9.1 percent this year. Despite the improved performance of the labor market, Balisacan said that challenges to improving the quality of employment across sectors still remain. For this reason, the country’s chief economist said that the government should persist in enabling the creation of high-quality jobs on the demand side and ensuring the upskilling and retooling of workers on the supply side. “On the demand side, the strategy to create high-quality job opportunities begins with attracting more investments especially in infrastructure and in improving the regulatory environment,” Balisacan said. “These interventions will improve the competitiveness of the entire economy and result in greater investor interest in other industries,” he added. According to the NEDA chief, the country’s participation in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the amendments to the Public Service Act would pave the way for more high-paying job opportunities being made available to Filipinos. “NEDA has recently published the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the amended Public Service Act. The next step is for the regulatory agencies to revise their regulatory processes accordingly,” he added. Additionally, he stated that the government will boost its efforts to raise awareness among the workforce regarding the current opportunities for skill enhancement. Currently, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) provides micro-credentialing, ladderized programs, and three-year diploma courses. Meanwhile, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has partnered with several IT and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) companies to enhance the competencies of the workforce in accordance with industry needs. “On the supply side, there is a need to improve the dissemination of information and awareness campaigns to encourage workers to utilize the existing resources for upskilling and retooling,” said Balisacan.