8 of 10 new jobs are just part-time: PH struggles to create quality work as economy reopens

April 7, 2022

Latest labor force data show that the economy, despite reopening, is struggling to generate sufficient work. Additional jobs created are also mostly temporary, insecure and informal.

10 things about the economy that the Duterte administration should admit

April 4, 2022

At its economic briefing, the Duterte government will likely hype growth, claim successful COVID response and play up so-called reforms. All this seeks to distract from how social and economic development has been set back by the administration even before the pandemic.

Jobs crisis worsened by fuel price hikes and measly ayuda

March 18, 2022

NEWS

The huge drop in the number of labor force participants and employed persons from December 2021 to January 2022 is concerning and underscores the country’s precarious jobs situation.

PH upper middle income by end 2022?: Just a number – IBON

February 12, 2022

The “upper-middle income” country status that the Duterte government is hoping to achieve this year is just a number. Even if reached, this is an empty achievement amid the weakest economy and worst joblessness in decades and will just reflect the prosperity of an elite few.

Scar-crossed Labors

January 17, 2022

We will likely hear claims of strong economic performance, early recovery, and returning to a path of rapid and inclusive growth. But labor force and poverty figures for 2021 already show how any claims like that will just be bluster or, worse, blind to the daily experience of millions of Filipinos.

Ayuda urgently needed to mitigate worsening poverty

August 21, 2021

The government has just announced the transition from ECQ to modified ECQ so the economy can supposedly recover. But the Duterte administration’s over-reliance on destructive lockdowns without effective and substantial health and economic response, like much-needed ayuda, is what’s really worsening the crisis and pushing more Filipinos into poverty.

Jobs crisis rages, ayuda diminishes

August 17, 2021

Ayuda helped mitigate the unemployment shock in April last year but this dropped to just token amounts afterwards despite millions still being unemployed and in desperate need of assistance. Poor pandemic response just made things even worse.

Duterte’s poor COVID response: Biggest unemployment increase in Southeast Asia

August 11, 2021

The pandemic hit everyone, but the Philippines could have responded at least as well as other countries in the region.

June labor force survey confirms economy not recovering despite reopening

August 3, 2021

The latest labor force survey (LFS) shows how far away the economy is from recovering without real fiscal stimulus. Job generation is hollow with a bloating informal sector and huge contraction in full-time work. These will worsen with the looming ECQ which will push millions of Filipinos into deeper economic distress.