Youth unemployment in PH to remain high

By ANGELA CELIS, Malaya, Nov 22, 2017

The youth unemployment rate in Southeast Asia and the Pacific is expected to show the second-largest increase worldwide, with the joblessness rate among the youth in the Philippines expected to increase, a report released by the International Labour Organization (ILO) said.

According to the Global Employment Trends for Youth 2017, the global youth unemployment rate is expected to rise slightly in 2017, reaching 13.1 percent, although the expected 70.9 million young unemployed is well below the crisis peak of76.7 million in 2009.

“South-Eastern Asia and the Pacific is expected to show the second-largest increase in the youth unemployment rate, moving from 11.7 percent in 2016 to 12 percent in 2017 and reaching 12.2 percent in 2018,” the report said.

“Despite some improvement in 2017, the youth unemployment rate will remain high in Indonesia, while it is expected to rise in Malaysia and the Philippines,” it added.

According to the latest Labor Force Survey published by the Philippine Statistics Authority, in July 2017, nearly half or 49.3 percent of the total unemployed persons in the country were accounted for by the youth or those aged 15 to 24.

In comparison, in July 2016, the said age group accounted for 48 percent.

The ILO said that the youth employment challenge is not just about job creation, but also, and even more so, about the quality of work and decent jobs for youth.

“Addressing these persistent labour market and social challenges faced by young women and men is crucial, not only for achieving sustainable and inclusive growth but also for the future of work and societal cohesion,” said Deborah Greenfield, ILO deputy director-general for policy.

The report also calls for policies that take into account the fast changing contours of the world of work driven by technology and that enable young women and men to be ahead of the curve.

“Investing in lifelong learning mechanisms, digital skills, and sectoral strategies that expand decent jobs and address the vulnerabilities of the most disadvantaged should be prioritized in national policies,” said Azita Berar Awad, Director of the ILO’s Employment Policy Department.