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2.2M more jobs created despite pandemic: NEDA chief

By Kris Crismundo

July 27, 2021, 2:47 pm

<p>Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua <em>(Screengrab from PTV Facebook page)</em></p>

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua (Screengrab from PTV Facebook page)

MANILA – Jobs in the country were higher by 2.2 million from the pre-pandemic level, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said.
 
In an interview with PTV after the State of the Nation Address (SONA) Monday evening, Chua said through risk management and implementation of granular lockdowns, the country generated more jobs amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis.
 
“(T)oday, we are 2.2 million jobs more than when…before Covid happened,” said Chua, who is also the director-general of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
 
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Labor Force Survey (LFS) show that there were 42.5 million Filipinos employed in January 2020.
 
In its latest LFS in May 2021, total employed Filipinos was at 44.72 million, 5 percent or 2.22 million higher than January 2020 numbers.
 
“We achieved the lowest ever poverty rate, underemployment rate -- meaning those with work but want to have more income -- and the lowest ever unemployment rate. So when we entered 2020, the conditions of the people have significantly improved,” Chua said.
 
However, due to lockdowns that started in March 2020, most business establishments were closed and challenges brought by the pandemic made some entrepreneurs close their businesses and shed workers.
 
According to PSA, there were 3.73 million jobless Filipinos in May 2021.
 
“What we have noticed in the past few quarters is that so long as we can manage the risk and identifying the highest risk and put the lockdowns or restrictions, we are able to open the rest of the economy safely so that the workers can go back,” the NEDA chief added.
 
Chua is optimistic that the country will be able to get back to the pre-pandemic levels by next year by strengthening efforts to fight Covid-19, as well as passing and implementing key economic reform legislations that will attract more investments and create more jobs for Filipinos.
 
He also underscored the need for a faster rollout of Covid-19 vaccination program throughout the country.
 
“We have a budget prepared (to) fight Covid. There are vaccination money there, there is a recovery, we passed and enacted the CREATE (Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises) law, the FIST (Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer) law -- these are reforms that enable our recovery. So we are going to implement them,” Chua added. (PNA)
 
 

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