More than 60 percent of the population 15 years old and over were in the labor force

The population 15 years old and over in January 2015 was estimated at 64.6 million wherein around 41.2 million persons were reported in the labor force, that is, either employed or unemployed (Table 1 and Table 2).  These figures placed the labor force participation rate (LFPR) at 63.7 percent. Among the regions, Northern Mindanao (Region X) registered the highest LFPR at 69.7 percent, while Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) registered the lowest LFPR at 55.8 percent (Figure 1).

Employment rate was recorded at 93.4 percent

The employment rate or the proportion of employed persons to total labor force was estimated at 93.4 percent in January 2015 (Table 1).  This placed the number of employed persons at about 38.5 million (Table 2).  

The top three regions in terms of employment rate were SOCCSKSARGEN or Region XII (97.7%), Zamboanga Peninsula or Region IX (97.5%) and Cagayan Valley or Region II (97.4%) (Table 1 and Figure 2).

Three in every five employed persons were males

In January 2015, around 26.6 percent of the total employed were in the age group 25 to 34.  Those in the age group 35 to 44 made up 23.1 percent, while the 15 to 24 age group, 18.9 percent (Table 3).

Three in five (60.6%) of the employed persons in January 2015 were males.

More than half of the employed population were working in the services sector

Workers in the services sector comprised more than one-half (54.4%) of the total employed population in January 2015.  Three in every ten (29.9%) were in the agriculture sector and 15.8 percent were in the industry sector (Table 4 and Figure 4).

Classified according to subsector or major industry groups, workers in agriculture, hunting and forestry sub-sector comprised the biggest percentage (26.5%) of the total employed. Those in the wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles ranked next at 18.9 percent of the total employed (Table 4).

Three in every ten of total employed persons were laborers and unskilled workers

Among the various occupation groups, laborers and unskilled workers made up the largest occupation group, accounting for 31.2 percent of the employed population. Officials of government and special interest organizations, corporate executives, managers, managing proprietors and supervisors were the second largest group, accounting for 16.5 percent of the total employed population (Table 5 and Figure 5). 

More than half of the employed persons were wage and salary workers

Employed persons fall into any of these categories: wage and salary workers, self-employed without any paid employee, employer in own family-operated farm or business and unpaid family workers. Wage and salary workers are those who work for private households, private establishments, government and government-controlled corporations and those who work with pay in own family-operated farm or business.

More than half (57.5%) of the total employed persons in January 2015 were wage and salary workers, most of them (44.3% of the total employed) worked for private establishments and in government and government-controlled corporations (8.0%).  Around 28.5 percent of the total employed persons were self-employed without any paid employee or those who were engaged in self-employment. The unpaid family workers made up 11.0 percent (Table 6).

By sector, the bulk of wage and salary workers (61.7%) and self-employed (51.2%) were in the services sector. In contrast, the bulk of employer (57.0%) and unpaid family workers (65.7%) were engaged in agriculture (Table 7).

Three in every five employed persons were full-time workers

Employed persons are classified as either full-time workers or part-time workers. Full-time workers are those who work for 40 hours or more during the reference week while part-time workers work for less than 40 hours.

In January 2015, three in every five (61.6%) employed persons were working full time and the rest, part-time (37.3%) or with a job but not at work (1.2%). Among those who worked full-time, 20.7 percent worked more than 48 hours during the reference week.

Underemployment rate at 17.9 percent

Employed persons who express 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 working hours are considered underemployed. The underemployment rate or the proportion of underemployed to the total employed persons was estimated at 17.9 percent in January 2015 (Table 1). Three-fifths (60.8%) of the total underemployed were reported as visibly underemployed or working less than 40 hours during the reference week. Those working 40 hours or more accounted for 37.3 percent of the total underemployed (Table 9).

Of the total underemployed, those working in the services sector made up 40.7 percent, while those in the agriculture sector, 42.5 percent. The underemployed in the industry sector accounted for lowest share (16.9%) of the total underemployed (Figure 7). Of the underemployed workers in the services sector, 50.9 percent were part-time workers. This is higher than the figure reported in industry (42.6%) but lower compared in agriculture (77.5%) (Table 9).

Unemployment rate was estimated at 6.6 percent

For the same period, the unemployment rate or the proportion of unemployed persons to the labor force was estimated at 6.6 percent (Table 1). This placed the number of unemployed persons at around 2.7 million (Table 2).  The unemployment rate in the National Capital Region (9.3%) was highest across regions (Table 1 and Figure 8).

There were more male unemployed (66.0%) than female unemployed.  About one-half (47.1%) of the unemployed were young workers or in age group 15 to 24 years (Table 3).

Across educational groups, 34.3 percent of the total unemployed were high school graduates, 7.2 percent were post secondary graduates, 12.9 percent were college undergraduates, and 20.4 percent were college graduates (Table 10).

Seventy percent of the persons who are not in the labor force were women

In January 2015, 36.3 percent of the population 15 years old and over were not in the labor force, i.e. housewives, students, persons with disability, and retirees, etc. Seven in every ten (69.5%) of those not in the labor force were women. 

About 46.5 percent of those not in the labor force belonged to the age group 15 to 24 years (Table 3).

SUMMARY STATISTICS 

^a/The Province of Leyte was not covered in the January 2015 LFS.

• Out of the estimated 64.6 million population 15 years old and over in January 2015, 41.2 million persons were in the labor force.
• The employment rate in January 2015 stood at 93.4 percent. 
• More than half (54.4%) of the employed population were in the services sector, 29.9 percent were in the agriculture sector and the rest (15.8%) were in the industry sector.
• Laborers and unskilled workers remained the largest occupation group as they comprised almost one-third (31.2%) of the employed population. Officials of government and special interest organizations, corporate executives, managers, managing proprietors and supervisors came next at 16.5 percent.
• More than half (57.5%) of the total employed persons were wage and salary workers, 28.5 percent were self-employed, 3.0 percent were employers in own family-operated farm or business, and 11.0 percent were unpaid family workers.
• Underemployment rate was estimated at 17.9 percent in January 2015.
• Unemployment rate in January 2015 was estimated at 6.6 percent.

Technical Notes

The Labor Force Survey (LFS) is a nationwide survey conducted quarterly by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) during the months of January, April, July, and October.  For this release, the data being presented are based on the final results of the January 2015 round of the LFS.

The reference period used in the survey refers to the past seven (7) days preceding the date of visit of the enumerator. The number of sample households was about 50,000.

The concepts and definitions used in the survey can be found in PSA-ISH Bulletins. Some are given below:

a.    Labor Force – refers to the population 15 years old and over who contribute or seek to contribute to the production of goods and services as defined in the system of National Account production boundary. It comprises the employed and unemployed.

b.    Employed – refers to persons in the labor force who are reported either as at work or with a job or business although not at work. Persons at work are those who did some work, even for an hour during the reference period.

c.    Unemployed – refers to persons in the labor force who are reported as:

1) without work;

2) currently available for work; and

3) seeking work or not seeking work due to the following reasons:

     i) belief that no work is available, or

     ii) awaiting results of previous job application, or

     iii) because of temporary illness or disability, or

     iv) bad weather, or

     v) waiting for rehire or job recall.    

The new definition of unemployed was adopted starting April 2005 per NSCB Resolution No. 15 dated October 20, 2004.

The old definition of unemployed considered only two criteria:

1)      Without work and looking for work; or

2)      Without work and not looking for work due to reasons cited in 3(i) to 3(v).

d.    Underemployed – refers to employed persons who express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or an additional job, or have a new job with longer working hours.

e.    Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) – proportion of total labor force to the total household population 15 years and over.

f.     Employment Rate – proportion of employed persons to the total labor force.

g.    Unemployment Rate – proportion of unemployed persons to the total labor force.

h.    Underemployment Rate – proportion of underemployed persons to total employed persons.

Starting with the July 2003 round, the LFS used the 2003 Master Sample (MS) Design. Using this design, the number of sample households is around 50,000 households.

The province of Basilan is included in the ARMM while Isabela City (Basilan) is placed under Region IX, in accordance with Executive Order No. 36.

Starting with the January 2007 LFS round, the population projections based on the 2000 Census of Population and Housing was adopted to generate the labor force statistics. This is in compliance with NSCB Resolution No. 1 series of 2005 entitled “Adoption of the Methodology Used in Generating the 2000 Census of Population and Housing-Based National Population Projections.”

Starting with the January 2010 LFS round, a revised nomenclature on class of worker was adopted. In the reports on previous rounds of LFS, particularly in the statistical tables on employed persons by class of worker, the self-employed and employer in own family-operated farm or business were classified as own-account workers. For the same statistical table in this report, the term own-account worker no longer appears as heading for employer and self-employed to avoid confusion. In the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE), the term “own-account worker”  is synonymous to the category “self-employed”  in the Philippines LFS.

Starting January 2012 LFS, the codes for industry adopted the 2009 Philippine Standard Industrial Classification (PSIC). Prior to this, codes for industry used the 1994 PSIC. While for the classification of occupation, the 1992 four-digit code for Philippine Standard Occupational Classification updated in 2002 (PSOC) is still being utilized.

The province of Leyte was not covered in the January 2015 LFS.  This is due to the large number of households in the province displaced by typhoon Yolanda, which rendered the 2003 Master Sample no longer usable and necessitate the development of a new sampling frame for the said province. Earlier, in January 2014 LFS, the entire Region VIII was not covered in the survey.