Highlights of the May 2022 Labor Force Survey
1. Employment rate was estimated at 94.0 percent in May 2022 or 94 in every 100 persons in the labor force had a job or business in May 2022. This was higher than the 92.3 percent employment rate reported a year ago but lower than the employment rate of 94.3 percent in April 2022.
In terms of magnitude, 46.08 million out of 49.01 million Filipinos in the labor force 15 years old and over were employed in May 2022, posting an increase of 1.37 million from the 44.72 million employed persons in May 2021. (Table A)
2. The country’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.0 percent in May 2022, from 7.7 percent in May 2021. However, it posted a 0.3 percentage point
The number of unemployed persons in May 2022 was estimated at 2.93 million compared to 3.74 million in the same period last year. In April 2022, the number of unemployed persons was reported at 2.76 million. (Table A)
3. Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) was registered at 64.0 percent in May 2022, an estimate lower than the 64.6 percent LFPR in May last year but higher than the 63.4 percent LFPR reported in April 2022.
There were 49.01 million out of the 76.53 million persons 15 years old and over in the labor force in May 2022. In comparison, there were 48.46 million out of the 75.04 million persons 15 years old and over were in the labor force in May 2021.
4. Underemployment rate in May 2022 was placed at 14.5 percent, higher than the estimated 12.3 percent underemployment rate in the same month a year ago. In April 2022, this was estimated at 14.0 percent. Of the 46.08 million employed persons in May 2022, 6.67 million were underemployed. Underemployed persons are those who expressed the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have an additional job or to have a new job with longer hours of work. (Table A)
Visible underemployment rate or the proportion of underemployed persons working less than 40 hours in a week was reported at 9.8 percent in May 2022, higher than the 8.9 percent reported rate in May 2021 and the 9.2 percent rate in April 2022.
On the other hand, invisible underemployment rate or the proportion of underemployed persons working at least 40 hours in a week was placed at 4.7 percent in May 2022. This estimate was higher compared to the 3.4 percent reported invisible underemployment rate in the same period last year. (Table A)
5. By sex, in May 2022, LFPR among males (75.5%) was higher compared to females (52.5%). Similarly, employment rate was slightly higher among males at 94.1 percent than their female counterpart at 94.0 percent. Moreover, underemployment rate among males (15.8%) was higher than females (12.6%). The unemployment rate among females was reported at 6.0 percent of the 19.96 million total female labor force while their male counterpart was placed at
6. Mean hours worked of employed individuals in May this year was estimated at 39.8 hours per week, higher than the 39.0 average hours worked per week in May last year, but lower than the 40.1 average hours worked in April 2022. (Tables 2 and A)
7. By sector, services consistently dominated the labor market having the largest share of 59.0 percent of the 46.08 million employed population. This was followed by the agriculture sector with 22.0 percent share and the industry sector with 19.0 percent share of the employed persons. (Table B)
8. The top five sub-sectors in terms of month-on-month increase on employment from April 2022 to May 2022 were the following:
a. Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (1.12 million);
b. Construction (232 thousand);
c. Fishing and aquaculture (104 thousand);
d. Manufacturing (90 thousand); and
e. Transportation and storage (70 thousand).
On the other hand, the top five sub-sectors in terms of the level of month-on-month drop in employment from April 2022 to May 2022 were the following:
a. Agriculture and forestry (-733 thousand);
b. Public administration and defense; compulsory social security
(-159 thousand);
c. Arts, entertainment and recreation (-109 thousand);
d. Education (-95 thousand); and
e. Professional, scientific, and technical activities (-51 thousand).
(Table B)
In terms of year-on-year changes, the top five sub-sectors with the highest increase in the number of employed persons from May 2021 to May 2022 were the following:
a. Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (708 thousand);
b. Administrative and support service activities (533 thousand);
c. Transportation and storage (303 thousand);
d. Accommodation and food service activities (270 thousand); and
e. Fishing and aquaculture (263 thousand).
In contrast, the top five sub-sectors with the highest decline in employment from May 2021 to May 2022 were as follows:
a. Agriculture and forestry (-766 thousand);
b. Public administration and defense; compulsory social security
(-293 thousand);
c. Education (-142 thousand);
d. Financial and insurance activities (-107 thousand); and
e. Other service activities (-86 thousand).
(Table B)
9. Youth labor force in May 2022 reached 7.30 million of the estimated 20.14 million youth population or those 15-24 years old. This translates to a youth labor force participation rate (LFPR) of 36.2 percent. Youth that are new entrants in the country’s labor force increased from 899 thousand in April 2022 to
10. Youth employment rate improved to 87.9 percent in May 2022 as compared to 85.5 percent in May last year, and 87.7 percent in April 2022. On the other hand, youth underemployment rate likewise increased to 11.6 percent, from 10.0 percent in May 2021 and 11.4 percent in April of the current year. (Table A)
(Sgd.) DENNIS S. MAPA, Ph.D.
Undersecretary
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General
