Unemployment woes not over, says ILO
By Kristine L. Alave Philippine Daily
Inquirer First Posted 20:36:00
01/27/2010
Filed Under: Labor, Unemployment
MANILA,
Philippines—The International LaborOrganization has warned the Philippines that the worst is
not over in the employment front. Although the government claims it has reduced
the unemployment rate
through emergency employment measures, it does not mean that the worst has
passed.
"The report warns us
of a W-shaped recovery. It is possible for the economy and employment to grow
but the rate of growth is likely to slow or dip, so it is crucial to have job
protection policies in place,” ILO country representative Linda Wirth said in a
statement.
The United Nations
agency said the Philippines and other countries should continue and expand
their safety net programs. The financial crisis that led to record unemployment rate worldwide has shrunk incomes and rendered
vulnerable women and youth.
"The issue is not just
open unemployment but vulnerable employment, underemployment and a rise in the
number of working poor as income shrinks. We see workers living on the margin
and at risk of falling further into poverty,” Wirth noted.
Wirth said many workers
who lost their jobs have yet to find jobs again, even as governments talk of
recovery in 2010. The Philippines’ export sector was severely hit by the
crisis.
"Many workers who have
lost their jobs in export-oriented industries cannot afford to remainunemployed and instead will take any form of employment
in the informal sector to have some income, perhaps in farming or street vending,”
said Wirth.
In the Philippines,
the unemployment rate rose slightly to 7.5 percent in 2009. To cushion the
effects of the crisis on the employment sector, the government set aside
billions of pesos for infrasture projects that would contractually employ about
500,000 workers.
The number of workers
in vulnerable employment in the South-East Asia Pacific region is estimated to
have increased by up to 5 million since 2008, when the crisis was felt all over
the world, according to ILO.
The regional unemployment
rate rose by 5.6 percent in 2009, and is expected to remain steady in 2010,
according to the ILO. The global unemployment rate rose to 6.6 percent in 2009,
an increase of 0.9 percentage points over 2007.
|