DOLE welcomes survey showing improvement in Phl employment rate

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday welcomed the results of the Labor Force Survey (LFS) showing an improvement in the employment rate in the country.

Based on the survey released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Philippines' unemployment rate fell to 3.5 percent in February 2024 from 4.5 percent in January.

This was also lower than the 4.8 percent clip seen in February last year.

"Ang nasabing resulta ay nagbibigay-lakas at inspirasyon sa amin upang higit pang pag-ibayuhin at pagbutihin ang implementasyon ng mga programa ng DOLE na sa tingin namin ay nakakatulong sa pagtaas ng bilang ng mga may hanapbuhay (The said result empowers and inspires us to further enhance and improve the implementation of DOLE programs which we believe helps in increasing the number of those who have jobs)," DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Leguesma said.

"Nagpapasalamat kami nang lubos sa suporta, tulong at pakikiisa ng pribadong sektor upang makalikha pa ng mas maraming trabaho sa kapakinabangan ng mamamayang Pilipino (We are very grateful for the support, assistance and cooperation of the private sector to create more jobs for the benefit of the Filipino people)," Leguesma added.

Through the Labor and Employment Plan 2023-2028, which is a tripartite document based on the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, Laguesma said they seek to ensure that priorities, strategies, and programs with the goal of preparing our workforce, especially the youth, for the opportunities and jobs that will be created.

Laguesma pointed out that part of the said plan is "the continuous and greater strengthening of partnership and collaboration with investors, business organizations, and development partners such as the International Labor Organization so that DOLE can gather basic information towards the right policy, get technical assistance to we can develop appropriate programs and projects that will help attract new investment, grow existing businesses and create quality jobs."

"Sana sa mga darating na panahon, magtuloy-tuloy ang pagbaba ng bilang ng kulang o walang trabaho at dumami pa ang may matatag, maayos at disenteng trabaho (Hopefully in the coming times, the number of underemployed or unemployed will continue to decrease and the number of stable, stable and decent jobs will increase)," the Labor official added.