Joblessness stalk the young, even those barely out of their teens.
They are among the 12.2 million Filipinos who were out of jobs in May, the latest Social Weather Stations survey shows.
That’s half a million lower than the 12.7 million who were jobless last November.
As in past surveys, the joblessness rate remains highest among the 18 to 24-year-olds, the SWS said as it released the survey results yesterday.
SWS defines the jobless as those who voluntarily left their old jobs, are seeking jobs for the first time or lost their jobs due to economic circumstances beyond their control.
The national survey of April 28 to May 2, 2021 found adult joblessness at 25.8 percent of the adult labor force.
That’s 1.5 points down from the 27.3 percent last November but still 8.3 points higher than the pre-pandemic level of 17.5 percent in December 2019.
SWS defines the labor force as adults 18 years and above presently with a job plus those looking for a job.
The May 2021 survey found the Labor Force Participation Rate — the proportion of adults in the labor force — at 67 percent, or an estimated 47.5 million Filipinos.
It was 66.7 percent or an estimated 46.3 million Filipinos without work in November 2020.
Joblessness reached a record-high of 45.5 percent in July 2020. It eased to 39.5 percent in September and 27.3 percent in November. It was 25.8 percent last month.The average joblessness rate for 2020 was a record-high 37.4 percent, surpassing the previous record average of 28.8 percent in 2012. The 2019 average was 19.8 percent.
Joblessness fell in Metro Manila from 37.8 percent in November 2020 to 30.8 percent in May 2021.
However, it rose in the Visayas and in Mindanao.
Joblessness hardly changed among men but fell among women. The resulting women-men joblessness gap of 5 points is the lowest since March 2004, when the women-men joblessness gap was just 3 points.
Joblessness fell slightly among the 18-to-34-year-olds, from 57.2 percent in November 2020 to 55.5 percent in May 2021.It rose slightly among the 35-to-44-year-olds buth hardly changed among those 45 years old and above.
Joblessness fell slightly in both urban and rural areas.
It fell slightly among graduates and non-graduates of elementary schools.
It hardly changed among junior high school graduates, from 30.8 percent in November 2020 to 30 percent in May 2021.It barely moved among college graduates.
The May 2021 joblessness scores across educational attainment are still higher than the December 2019 pre-pandemic levels.
The First Quarter 2021 Social Weather Survey was conducted among 1,200 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide.
