Eight thousand people in Catanduanes were out of work in 2024, with the island’s 8.1 percent unemployment rate the highest among the Philippines’ 82 provinces.
This was reported last week by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) based on the preliminary results of 2024 Labor Market Statistics, which is gathered monthly from households through the Labor Force Survey (LFS) on the demographic and socio- economic characteristics of the population.
The survey results showed that in 2024, Catanduanes posted an employment rate of 91.9 percent, corresponding to 94,000 residents who had a job or business out of the 102,000 individuals 15 years old and over in the labor force.
This was lower compared to the employment rate in 2023, which was estimated at 93.1 percent, the PSA stated.
The 2024 employment rate is the lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic ended in 2021, with the previous low at the height of the crisis in 2020 with 90 percent.
“While the province experienced improvements in employment after 2020, the rates have not sustained a consistent upward trajectory,” the PSA stressed.
Compared to the 6.9 percent unemployment rate for the province in 2023 when 7,000 persons were without work, the 2024 unemployment rate of 8.1 percent was the highest unemployment rate recorded in the country, the PSA stated.
The unemployed population includes those without work but available for work and seeking employment during the reference period.
Also considered unemployed are those not seeking work due to the following reasons: (1) tired or believed no work available, i.e., discouraged workers; (2) awaiting results of previous job application; (3) temporary illness or disability; (4) bad weather; and/or (5) waiting for rehire or job recall.
Under the survey guidelines, the employed population refers to those who do any work even for one hour during the reference period for pay or profit, or those who work without pay on the farm or business enterprise operated by a member of the same household related by blood, marriage, or adoption.
It also includes those with a job or business but not at work because of temporary illness or injury, vacation, or other reasons. Likewise, considered “employed” are persons who expected to report for work or to start the operation of a farm or business enterprise within two weeks from the date of the enumerator’s visit.
The 2024 preliminary results also showed that the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in Catanduanes was pegged at 56.3 percent, indicating that 56 out of every 100 Catandunganons aged 15 and older were part of the labor force.
This translates to 102,000 islanders who were either employed or unemployed out of the estimated 182,000 residents 15 years old and over in 2024.
The 2024 LFPR was slightly lower than the 59.9 percent LFPR in 2023, or 108,000 Catandunganons who
were in the labor force out of the estimated 180.000 residents 15 years old and over in 2023.
The PSA report did not state why the 2024 labor force population declined by nine (9%) percent from 113,000 in 2022.
Underemployment slightly decreased in 2024 to 21.7 percent, with 20,000 employed persons expressing the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job, or an additional job, or a new job with longer working hours.
This is lower than the 22,000 underemployed persons in 2023 when the underemployment rate was 21.9 percent of the total employed population.