ARMM employment rate up, says DOLE-ARMM

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (PNA) — The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao announced Monday the one-percent increase in the region’s employment rate.

Regional Secretary Myrah Alih of the DOLE-ARMM said the number of employed persons in the region rose to 97 percent as of December 2010, a notch higher than that of the previous year.

She said ARMM also posted highest employment rate among the different regions in the country.

“The modest growth is an encouraging sign that ARMM’s economy is doing well despite the odds,” Alih said.

“The one percent might seem insignificant at first but this translates to thousands of jobs,” she added.

Alih explained that the modest growth could be attributed to the increasing number of self-employed in the region.

ARMM is composed of the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi and the city of Marawi.

Since assuming office, Alih has spearheaded livelihood opportunities to hundreds of residents across the region and in linking employers and job seekers the past year.

She explained that fast tracking the processing of legal documents for ARMM residents seeking employment overseas was one of the factors that improve employment rate of the region.

On top of various programs in the regional office, DOLE-ARMM also ventured into several jobs fair and provision of livelihood starter packages.

A very clear indication of an improved socio-economic climate of ARMM, according to Alih, was the decreasing number of internally displaced persons who are now back to their communities and earning a living.

The number of IDPs in evacuation centers has dropped to around 2,000 from 17,000 by the end of 2010.

Alih stressed that the restoration or resumption of their livelihood projects in their communities was imperative to the return of the IDPs to their places of origin.

She admitted about 25 percent of the employment rate was underemployed or workers receiving below the minimum wage rate applied in the region.

But Alih was not pessimistic and announced more programs by her office aimed at providing high-income programs for self-employment and the expected entry of regional and national investors that would translate into employment opportunities for ARMM residents.