PALAYAN CITY, Philippines – This provincial capital is fast becoming Nueva Ecija’s “tambay” capital with the number of jobless and underemployed residents reaching 5,000, according to the city labor and employment office.
Emmarie JP Martinez, city labor and employment officer, admitted that unemployment is one of the biggest headaches of the city government.
She said a recently commissioned survey showed that the unemployment rate in the city now stands at 12 percent, up from only three percent last year and much higher than the nationwide average of eight percent.