ILOILO CITY – The unemployment rate in Western Visayas last January went up even after economic activities have returned to normal as the pandemic waned.
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GROCERY store workers rest in Iloilo City.  (Tara Yap) Data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the unemployment rate rose by 0.9 percent to 5.6 percent from 4.7 percent a year ago. It was also higher than the 5.1 percent unemployment rate in October 2022. The January figure translates to 199,000 unemployed persons out of 3.56 million workers in the region comprising of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental provinces as well as the urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod. The employment rate in Western Visayas dropped to 94.4 percent at the beginning of the year from 95.3 percent in January 2022 or 3.37 million employed persons. Underemployment in Western Visayas decreased to 12.9 percent or 434,000 underemployed people at the beginning of the year from 16.9 percent or 546,000 in January 2022. Underemployed are people who have jobs but not full-time work.
GROCERY store workers rest in Iloilo City.  (Tara Yap) Data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the unemployment rate rose by 0.9 percent to 5.6 percent from 4.7 percent a year ago. It was also higher than the 5.1 percent unemployment rate in October 2022. The January figure translates to 199,000 unemployed persons out of 3.56 million workers in the region comprising of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental provinces as well as the urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod. The employment rate in Western Visayas dropped to 94.4 percent at the beginning of the year from 95.3 percent in January 2022 or 3.37 million employed persons. Underemployment in Western Visayas decreased to 12.9 percent or 434,000 underemployed people at the beginning of the year from 16.9 percent or 546,000 in January 2022. Underemployed are people who have jobs but not full-time work.