3 million Filipinos in the workforce struggle to find employment

The latest April 2024 Labor Force Survey data indicates a promising trend in the Philippines’ job market. The national unemployment rate has dropped to 4 percent, down from 4.5 percent in the same month last year. This decrease represents over 3.1 million individuals capable of working or part of the labor force who are currently unemployed.

However, while unemployment has decreased, underemployment remains a concern with a rate of 14.6 percent. Despite the overall improvement, some individuals still struggle to find suitable employment. Director Geraldine Panlilio of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 3 emphasizes that the region is not facing a lack of job opportunities. Instead, the primary issue is job mismatch, where the skills of job seekers do not align with the available positions.

“Patuloy daw ang pagbaba ng bilang ng mga walang trabaho (The number of unemployed continues to decrease),” Panlilio said. She added, “Hindi na natin masasabi na napakalaking problema dahil bumaba naman ito from last month’s figure. Ibig sabihin tuloy-tuloy ang pagpasok ng investors… Napakaraming opportunities kaya lang tingnan lang natin yung hindi nagmamatch ‘yung skills sa available job.” (“We can no longer say it’s a big problem because it has decreased from last month’s figure. It means that investors continue to come in… There are many opportunities, but we need to address the mismatch between skills and available jobs.”)

The government is actively working to address this mismatch through several initiatives, including infrastructure development, the Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TBP) plan, and digital workforce support. As a result, employment in Region 3 has reached 96 percent, surpassing figures from the pandemic period and nearing pre-pandemic levels.

Despite these gains, individuals like “Mari,” a 23-year-old fresh graduate, still find it challenging to secure employment. Mari, who requested anonymity, shared her struggles transitioning from student life to the workforce.

“To be honest, sobrang hirap. Lalo na yung transition from being a student to being a part of the working environment,” she said. (“To be honest, it’s really hard. Especially the transition from being a student to being a part of the working environment.”) During her three-week job search, Mari realized the difficulty of the process. “Andami ko nang inapplyan na companies thru Indeed, Jobstreet… send ako nang send pero wala akong natatanggap na email.” (“I have applied to many companies through Indeed, Jobstreet… I keep sending applications but haven’t received any emails.”)

Mari, who graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts from a private university in Pampanga, finds the job hunting process daunting due to the high number of requirements from employers. “Unang-una for me is yung pagiging fresh graduate ko na walang work experience. Most companies kasi hinahanap yung may years of work experience na.” (“First of all, for me, being a fresh graduate with no work experience. Most companies look for those with years of work experience.”)

She also pointed out the lack of job opportunities related to her course and the low starting salaries offered to new graduates. “Next is the lack of job opportunities lalo na yung related sa course ko. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts. And super konti ng mga kumpanya na naghahanap ng ganyan, based sa experience ko ah.” (“Next is the lack of job opportunities, especially those related to my course. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts. And very few companies are looking for that, based on my experience.”)

Mari appeals to the government and employers for improvement in the job market. “I am aware na this is happening because of the situation in the Philippines, pero sana na lang umasenso na ito para hindi na tayo nahihirapan.” (“I am aware that this is happening because of the situation in the Philippines, but I hope it improves so we don’t struggle anymore.”)

While the decline in the unemployment rate is a positive sign, the ongoing efforts to address job mismatches and improve employment opportunities are crucial for sustaining this progress and ensuring that more Filipinos can find meaningful work.