STATEMENT OF THE SECRETARY
January 2023 Labor Force Survey Round
Bureau of Local Employment
The result of the Labor Force Survey for January 2023 implies that the continuous improvement of the country’s health situation and the full opening of the economy contributes to the sustained growth potential of our labor market.
As reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority, the country’s employment rate in January 2023 was estimated at 95.2 percent, which is 1.6 percentage points higher than the same month in the previous year at 93.6 percent. Compared to the previous quarter (October 2022), the employment rate slightly declined by 0.3 percentage points – from 95.5 percent in October 2022 to 95.2 percent in January 2023. Year-on-year, the increase in employment may be attributed to employment growth in wholesale and retail trade (repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles) (+1.526M or 16.9%); agriculture and forestry (+960,000 or 11.7%); accommodation and food service activities (+549,000 or 35.7%); transportation and storage (+303,000 or 9.5%); and other service activities (+203,000 or 7.7%).
In terms of unemployment incidence, there is a notable decrease in the number of unemployed workers, from 2.95 million in January 2022 to 2.37 million in January 2023. The estimated rate of 4.8 percent is lower than the unemployment rate reported in the same month of 2022 which is 6.4 percent. The same trend was observed in the youth unemployment rate which declined 3.0 percentage points compared to the same month in the previous year – from 13.8 percent in January 2022 to 10.8 percent in January 2023.
As we continue thriving towards a fully operational economy, the DOLE further intensifies its efforts to constantly initiate convergence with public and private stakeholders in enhancing access to labor market information, and improving service delivery, especially for programs that benefit the youth and other vulnerable sectors. Hence, we are rolling out our consultations for the finalization of the National Labor and Employment Plan.
With the current and emerging challenges in the labor market, the government, in keeping with the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, is committed to strengthen its efforts to raise the quality of human resources and ensure that the current and future workforce can adapt to the changing demands of the labor market. These efforts shall achieve our desired outcomes in terms of employment and mobility, and better respond to economic opportunities, which includes prioritization of upskilling and reskilling of the workforce to equip them with higher competencies by expanding lifelong learning opportunities. ###
