Bad weather cuts Pinoys’ working hours, firms warned
ASCENTHR founder and CEO Subramanyam Sreenivasaiah calls on Philippine businesses to strengthen their workforce management systems as severe weather disrupts working hours and payroll operations.
Photograph courtesy of AscentHR
Severe weather disruptions are reducing working hours among Filipinos, prompting human resources solutions provider AscentHR to urge businesses to strengthen workforce management and payroll systems.
Citing Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, AscentHR said average weekly working hours declined from 40.6 hours in July to 39.2 hours in August 2026, with adverse weather among the major contributing factors.
The decline has raised concerns over workers’ take-home pay, particularly in industries dependent on regular shifts and daily operations.
The PSA also reported an unemployment rate of 5.3 percent in August, while underemployment stood at 11.9 percent, equivalent to approximately 5.9 million workers seeking additional hours or income.
AscentHR said weather-related disruptions complicate payroll processing, shift scheduling, overtime calculations and compliance with labor regulations.
“Operational resilience isn’t just about disaster recovery, but it’s about having payroll and workforce technology agile enough to accommodate weather disruptions and seasonal hours without administrative drag,” said Subramanyam Sreenivasaiah, founder and CEO of AscentHR.
The company urged businesses to adopt automated attendance tracking, flexible payroll systems and real-time workforce monitoring to maintain accurate compensation during disruptions.
Manufacturing, retail, logistics and other labor-intensive industries are particularly vulnerable to interrupted operations, the company said.
With seasonal hiring expected to increase toward the end of the year, AscentHR encouraged employers to assess their payroll infrastructure and contingency plans.
The company said modern workforce management systems could help businesses maintain operations while protecting employee compensation during extreme weather events.