Buoyed by the more than 28,000 job opemnings last month, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is expecting an improvement in the country’s employment rates this year.  

DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma stated that offering excellent job services is one of DOLE's major tasks associated with the Labor Employment Plan (LEP) 2023-2028.

“Sana sa taong 2024 ay papunta na tayo doon sa direksyon na mas dekalidad na trabaho, mas pangmatagalan, mas malakas, at mas malaki ang pakinabang ng ating mga manggagawa (Hopefully, by 2024, we will be on our way towards higher quality work, more long-term, stronger, and greater benefits for our employees),” said Laguesma.

Based on the result of the Labor Force Survey, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the country's employment rate was 95.5 percent in September 2023, up from 95.0 percent in September 2022.

In the same survey, manufacturing lost an anticipated 888,000 jobs, wholesale and retail commerce lost 722,000, and agriculture and forestry lost 649,000.

Meanwhile, Laguesma said that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) aims to provide over 200,000 jobs this year to improve work quality.

“Mayroong pinalabas na estimate na bilang ang DTI, yung iba wala pang definite na numbers pero humigit-kumulang mahigit na dalawang daang libong trabaho ang nakikita ng DTI at kami sa DOLE kami ay mahigpit at very closely coordinating with DTI (The DTI has issued an estimated number; the others do not have particulars yet, but the DTI sees more than 200,000 jobs, and we at DOLE are strict and closely collaborating with the DTI),” he said.

Laguesma said the recent survey results reflect the unpredictability and seasonality of labor markets, which have been worsened by some severe weather and climate change that mainly affected agriculture.