More Filipinos looking for extra work

MANILA, Philippines - The number of jobless Filipinos have relatively remained the same in January, but those looking for more hours of work or additional job have significantly increased, the latest data from the National Statistics Office showed.

Unemployment rate in January 2013 was at 7.1 percent, a minimum reduction from 7.2 percent recorded in January 2012. In October 2012, unemployment rate was 6.8 percent.

With 40.8 million in the labor force, or those 15 years old and above who were either employed or unemployed, some 2.86 million do not have work as of January.

Meanwhile, those underemployed, defined as employed persons who express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have additional job or to a have a new job with longer working hours, rose from 18.8 percent or 7.02 million to 20.9 percent or 7.93 million.

Most jobless Filipinos are in the National Capital Region (9.5 percent unmeployment rate). Cagayan Valley has the lowest unemployment rate at 3.3 percent.

"Among the unemployed, 63.6 percent were males. Almost half (49.3 percent) of the unemployed were aged 15 to 24 years. By educational attainment, one-third or 33. 7 percent of the unemployed were high school graduates, 13.1 percent were college undergraduates, while 16.9 percent were college graduates," the NSO added.

The service sector, meanwhile, is the largest employer, accounting for 54.1 percent, followed by agriculture with 30.4 percent and industry, 15.5 percent.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the country's unemployment rate "implies insufficient employment opportunities for thos elacking in work experience through education."

“The high level of underemployment may be partly due to the high percentage of new labor entrants aged 15-34 years old who might have been employed as contractual or are still under probation for which the wage received is low,” he  said.