(MANILA BULLETIN) Senators on Wednesday, April 9 welcomed the continued decline in the unemployment rate in the country which dropped to 3.8 percent in February 2025.
“The continued decline in the unemployment rate to 3.8 percent in February, down from 4.3 percent along with the decrease in underemployment from 13.1 percent to 10.1 no longer comes as a surprise,” Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada said.
“As I shared during the general debate at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the country has experienced notable and positive economic developments, including the decreasing unemployment rate,” Estrada further pointed out.
According to Estrada, the Philippine Development Report 2024 highlights the country’s steady economic progress, with GDP growth at 5.8 percent, a declining unemployment rate of 4.3 percent, and poverty incidence dropping to 15.5 percent.
But even if these figures are encouraging, Estrada said it is imperative for the government to not lose momentum, more so after the May 2025 polls.
The senator noted some of the employment opportunities were tied to political organizations, as noted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
“Mahalaga na masiguro ang pagpapatupad ng mga programa sumusuporta sa ating micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) pati na rin ang pagbibigay ng tamang pasahod sa mga manggagawa (It’s important to ensure the implementation of programs that support our micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as well as the provision of fair wages to workers),” he said.
Moreover, strengthening labor policies to protect workers’ rights and promote fair wages is equally crucial, he said.
“Kung tama natatanggap nilang sahod, magkakaroon ng motibasyon ang ating mga kababayang manggagawa na manatili sa formal sector at hindi sa informal sector kung saan hindi sila protektado ng batas (If they receive the right wages, our fellow workers will be motivated to stay in the formal sector and not in the informal sector where they are not protected by the law),” he stressed.
Sen. Joel Villanueva also lauded the recent development but said it is imperative to take into account that the seasonality of jobs remains very evident, especially with the upcoming local and national elections.
This is why it is crucial for the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to ensure the full rollout of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB) plan 2025-2034.
Launched on April 11, TPB is a 10-year roadmap of the Marcos administration that will serve as the national guide toward greater employment generation and recovery.
“We pushed for the passage of the TPB Act to minimize seasonality and to better predict which industries need to be enhanced and developed to create more jobs,” Villanueva said.