Employment rate in Western Visayas at 94.6% as of April — DOLE

The employment rate in Western Visayas during the first four months of the year stayed positive at 94.6 percent, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in the region.

At the sidelines of the 2018 Kalayaan Trabaho, Negosyo at Kabuhayan activity held in Bacolod City on June 12, Lawyer Johnson Cañete said that the region’s employment rate is slightly higher than the national average rate of 94.5 percent as of April this year.

Cañete cited the latest results of the Labor Force Survey, which was conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). According to the report, the region’s labor force participation rate is 61.8 percent.

Cañete said that the region was “performing well” and added that one of Western Visayas’ beautiful attributes was being a tourism destination, which provides more opportunities for job seekers.

The survey also showed that the unemployment rate in the region is at 5.4 percent and the underemployment rate is at 17.5 percent.

Underemployment covers people who are highly skilled workers but have low-paying jobs, highly skilled workers but have low-skill jobs, and part-time workers who would prefer to have full-time jobs.

DOLE said that the positive employment rate is a good indication that the economy in Western Visayas is still robust.

Nevertheless, the region is expected to see employment numbers go down in the coming months due to the closure of Boracay Island, the region’s top tourist destination.

via SunStar Bacolod / Erwin P. Nicavera