Workers’ pay slightly rose in Q1

100,000 workers displaced since October

THE AVERAGE compensation of a worker in the manufacturing sector slightly grew by 0.8 percent in the first quarter, despite thousands of jobs reportedly lost at the height of the global financial crisis, according to the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).

An increase in remuneration was seen even though there was a 12-percent drop in the number of employees in manufacturing—the biggest decrease in the quarterly total employment index.

Data from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) show that from October 2008, the global downturn took its toll on a total of 109,429 workers.

Of the total, 11,574 were permanently displaced, 38,806 temporarily laid off, and 59,149 underwent flexible working arrangements like reduced work days or hours or pay.

According to DOLE, job losses were confined to the export sector, particularly in garments, electronic products and motor vehicles.

A general decline in the manufacturing sector is expected to have carried over the second quarter as the National Statistics Office reported that the value and volume of manufacturing in May both dropped by 13 percent year-on-year.

The value of manufacturing output has been contracting since December 2008.

But the decline in volume has dropped for a stretch of seven months since November.

On a month-on-month basis, the value and volume in manufacturing has been swinging between positive and negative growth since the start of the year.

In May, the year-on-year decline in value was attributed to decreases in output from 17 out of 20 major sectors, particularly in furniture and fixtures, petroleum products, leather products, paper and paper products, basic metals, beverages, footwear and wearing apparel—all of which fell by at least 30 percent.

Also, the decline in production volume was due to decrease in 18 of the major sectors, with those from leather products, beverages, furniture and fixtures, and footwear and wearing apparel falling by at least a third.

In terms of the NSCB’s gross revenues index, the manufacturing sector contracted by 9.8 percent, the only sector in the index to decline, falling in to negative territory after a decade of positive growth rates.

The NSCB quarterly economic indexes are used as bases for wage formulation and for forecasting and projections. –Ronnel Domingo, Philippine Daily Inquirer