JOBLESS FILIPINOS ARE HIGHER: WANTED TO BE THE NEXT?

by: Danessa Adino Lazaga

The unemployment rate in the Philippines today is very alarming since it is increasing as time passes by. As our population grows higher, the number of graduates increases, and there are no enough jobs for them to be employed, then, poverty rate is still rising. Imagine, the unemployment data from the January 2009 Labor Force Survey confirms the country’s descent into greater joblessness due to the global crisis and accumulated domestic economic weaknesses.

According to the data of IBON Foundation Inc., a research group, there are now 4.3 million Filipinos who are jobless today. The IBON Foundation estimates that some 2.5% of the working age population, 15 years old and above are considered part of the labor force, which implies an additional 1.5 million jobless on top of the 2.9 million officially reported, for a total of roughly 4.3 million jobless. The number of jobless could be even much higher if, as is likely, labor force participation rates this year become bloated by even greater numbers of discouraged job-seekers.

The latest unemployment report underscores the deep problems of the economy: its weakened internal ability to grow, create jobs, provide incomes, and cope with the crisis. This also underscores the hazard of relying on export-oriented manufacturing instead of a solid and expanding base of domestic demand, such as would be immediately created by a strategy of genuine asset and wealth distribution. The country faces greater joblessness in the coming months, and the worst is yet to come especially with the government’s inadequate response to address the country’s severe unemployment.

I just hope that before they spent too much for themselves or for other things, they should think first on what could be done or what could be the possible solution of the numerous economic problems in the country today. There are alot of Filipinos who are suffering from hunger and most especially from poverty. And maybe, just maybe in no time, we will no longer be a third-world country, but the last world country.