This issue of LABSTAT Updates is the first in a six-part series of industry profiles that features key industries with strong employment generation potentials. Statistics in this report were culled from the results of the 2013/2014 Integrated Survey on Labor and Employment (ISLE) – a nationwide sample survey covering 8,399 establishments with 20 or more workers.

This LABSTAT Updates is based on the results of the 2013/2014 Integrated Survey on Labor and Employment (ISLE). The ISLE is a nationwide sample survey covering 8,399 establishments with at least 20 workers. The practice of contracting out jobs/services emerged in the 1980’s as a response of firms to deal with the increasing competitions brought about by globalization of trade. This flexible measure allows establishments to cope with the fluctuating demands for their products in the market and reduce cost by concentrating on their core business and outsourcing non-core activities (e.g., backoffice jobs, logistics and courier services, HR and training services, etc.) to third parties.

The 2013 Labor Cost Survey (LCS) is one of the modules of the 2013/2014 Integrated Survey on Labor and Employment (ISLE), formerly, the BLES Integrated Survey (BITS). The ISLE is a nationwide establishment survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) covering 8,399 agricultural and non-agricultural establishments employing at least 20 workers.