(File photo courtesy of DOLE)
MANILA – Malacañang has attributed the improved employment situation in the country to the further reopening of the economy that generated more job opportunities amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
This, as acting Presidential Spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar expressed elation Thursday over the results of the Philippine Statistics Authority's (PSA) March 2022 Labor Force Survey which showed an employment rate of 94.2 percent.
The number of employed Filipinos, according to the PSA report, reached 46.98 million in March 2022, higher than the 45.48 million or 93.6 percent recorded in February 2022.
"We welcome the latest employment situation reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority showing employment rate in March 2022 at 94.2 percent – the highest since April 2020," Andanar said.
The PSA, in a statement, noted that around 2.87 million Filipinos were jobless in March, down from 3.13 million in February 2022 and 3.44 million in March 2021.
Andanar stood by his previous statement that the government's calibrated strategies against Covid-19 were effective in creating more jobs in the country.
Placing over half of the total cities and municipalities nationwide under the most lenient Alert Level 1 allows more Filipinos to go to work, Andanar said, as he noted that more businesses are now operating despite the prevailing pandemic.
"This proves how effective our calibrated strategy of shifting to Alert Level System to further reopen the economy," he said.
Andanar also reassured that there are "concrete" plans to ensure the country's economic recovery from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
He also reiterated that the government would continue to ramp up the Covid-19 vaccination drive so as not to compromise the public health, as it indents to resume more economic activities.
"We are confident to see a further improvement in our employment situation as government has concrete plans to sustain our economic rebound," Andanar said. (PNA)
