Workers' group official says country is facing 'jobs crisis'

The country is facing "jobs crisis" contrary to what the government has been claiming that the employment rate is growing due to better economy, an official of a workers' group said at a labor forum here yesterday afternoon.

Alliance of Progressive Labor national secretary general Joshua Mata, speaking at the gathering of labor groups at Baseline Restaurant, said the rate of unemployment and underemployment continue to rise at this time that the government boasts that the economy is growing.

Mata cited last year's statistics showing a historic high of 6.9-million underemployed people who worked less than 20 hours a week and earned less than the minimum wage.

Mata added that over 10 million people were looking for jobs last year when only 700,000 were available. This number was not even half of what President Gloria Arroyo's promise of creating 10 million jobs during her term, or at least 1.5-million jobs a year, he said.

Mata said that even if the government's claim is true that the economy is improving, the unemployment rate of the country is not declining while jobs growth continue to slow down.

"The economy is growing faster than before but its capacity to create jobs slows down. The country is suffering from jobs crisis but the government constantly denied this reality," he said.

Underemployment is the true measure of poverty because it shows that more and more workers want to increase the number of hours of their work. It is also a situation when the number of hours worked is not enough than what an employed person is willing and able to engage in.

Mata said the recent Labor Force Survey, conducted by the National Statistics Office, showed the country's employment-as of January 2006-was 32.4 million, an increase from 31.64 million of same period last year.

This year, the national employment rate is pegged at 91.9 percent while the unemployed numbered 2.8 million, or an unemployment rate of 8.1 percent.

But despite an increase in employment rate, Mata said underemployment rose to 21.3 percent in January 2006 from 16.1 percent a year ago.

The national government also foresees a better picture for employment this year as it projects better prospects for the economy. But Mata said better economy gives no benefit to workers because only the big capitalists are gaining from it.

Aside from rising unemployment and underemployment rates, Mata said real wages of workers have decreased and many have been paid below the minimum wage. - Wenna A. Berondo