WB study notes Phl’s poor jobs record

Published by rudy Date posted on September 14, 2013

MANILA, Philippines – Over the decade, only about a fourth of the potential entrants to the labor force in the Philippines land good jobs, according to a study conducted by the World Bank.

World Bank Philippines senior country economist Karl Kirk Chua attributed the poor employment conditions – despite the strong growth figures – to the country’s long history of policy distortions and complex regulations.

Policy distortions slowed the growth of agriculture and manufacturing in the last six decades, he said.

By 2016, around 12.4 million Filipinos would still be unemployed or underemployed and would end up as reserves for the low quality, low paying informal sector, he added.

Chua explained that agricultural productivity has remained depressed, manufacturing has failed to grow, and a low-productivity, low-skill services sector emerged as the dominant feature of the economy.

Likewise, the lack of competition in many sectors, lack of security of property rights, complex regulations, and severe under-investment by the government and the private sector has led to this growth pattern, which is not the norm in the East Asia region, said the report, titled “The Philippine Development Report (PDR): Creating More and Better Jobs.”

“This economic growth pattern failed to provide good jobs,” the World Bank economist said.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan earlier pointed out that the agriculture and manufacturing sectors are critical to sustainable economic growth, job creation and poverty alleviation.

He pointed to agri-food processing, furniture, tourism, infrastructure/logistics and construction; business process outsourcing/management; and agri-business.

The country’s total labor force now numbers 41 million, or which the number of employed reached 38.2 million, a mere 1.7 percent more than the 37.6 million last year.

According to the World Bank report, good jobs need to be generated for around 10 million Filipinos, either unemployed (three million) or underemployed (seven million) and to around 1.15 million potential entrants to the labor force every year from 2013 to 2016.

That is a total of around 14.6 million jobs in the formal and informal sectors that need to be created, sustained or improved in the next four years.

The Philippines boosts of an average 4.1 percent growth rate in the last three decades which is, in fact, lower than the 6.5 percent average growth of its more dynamic East Asian peers. –Ted P. Torres (The Philippine Star)

July 2025

Nutrition Month
“Give us much more than P50 increase
for proper nutrition!”

Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations
against serious violations of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.

Accept National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar.  Reject Military!

#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideosturesVideos

Time to support & empower survivors. Time to spark a global conversation. Time for #GenerationEquality to #orangetheworld!

July


3 July – International Day of Cooperatives
3 Ju
ly – International Plastic Bag Free Day
 
5 July –
World Youth Skills Day 
7 July – Global Forgiveness Day
11 July – World Population Day 
17 July – World Day for
International Justice
28 July – World Nature Conservation Day
30 July – World Day against Trafficking in Persons 


Monthly Observances:

Schools Safety Month

Nutrition Month
National Disaster Consciousness Month

Weekly Observances:

Week 2: Cultural Communities Week
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise
Development Week
Week 3: National Science and
Technology Week
National Disability Prevention and
Rehabilitation Week
July 1-7:
National Culture Consciousness Week
July 13-19:
Philippines Business Week
Week ending last Saturday of July:
Arbor Week

 

Daily Observances:

First Saturday of July:
International Cooperative Day
in the Philippines

Categories

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.