Palace: Rise in joblessness ‘seasonal’

Malacañang welcomed the results of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing just a one percent increase in jobless rate in the country for the second quarter of the year.

The SWS survey revealed that unemployment rose to 20.7% in June 2019 from 19.7% in March 2019.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo downplayed the result as “seasonal” since the data gathering was conducted between months of job hunting for fresh graduates.

Panelo is also optimistic that the number of working adults will soon rise with the signing into law last May of Republic Act 11261, also known as First-Time Jobseekers Assistance Act.

“About 1.3 million young people in the country will benefit annually from the law,” Panelo said.

RA 11261 prohibits national and local government entities from collecting fees from first-time job seekers when they apply for government documents required for employment in the country or overseas.

The government documents covered are police clearance, National Bureau of Investigation clearance, barangay clearance and medical certificate from a public hospital, but excluding fees for laboratory tests and other medical procedures.