The proportion of child laborers in the country increased significantly in 2023, with more than half of working Filipino children engaged in hazardous or excessive work, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.
Based on the PSA report published on Thursday, Nov. 21, 62 percent of the 1.1 million working children aged five to 17 year old in the country were engaged in child labor, up from 56 percent in 2022.
This means that six out of 10 working children were involved in child labor last year. The increase follows a temporary decline in child labor in 2022 from 68.4 percent in 2021.
The agriculture sector remains the largest employer of child laborers, with 65.3 percent of child laborers working in this sector. The services sector employs 30.7 percent of child laborers, and the remaining children work in the industry sector.
Philippine labor laws define child labor as any work that is hazardous or harmful to a child's health, safety, or development. This includes excessive working hours for children.
The PSA identified more than half a million (678,000) working children as child laborers.
While the number is down from 828,000 in 2022 and nearly a million (935,000) in 2021, the percentage of children working 21 to 40 hours per week increased to 16.4 percent in 2023 from 15.7 percent in 2022. This indicates a slight increase in the number of children working longer hours.
What are working children?
Working children are those engaged in tasks that do not negatively impact their education, health, or well-being, such as helping in family businesses or doing light chores.
The PSA estimated the number of working children aged 5 to 17 year old at 1.09 million in 2023, a decrease from 1.48 million in 2022.
Boys continue to make up the majority of working children, accounting for 59.1 percent in 2023.
The services sector is the largest employer of working children, accounting for 50 percent of all working children.
The agriculture sector employs 43.7 percent of working children, and the industry sector employs 6.3 percent.