PH gets highest unemployment rate in ASEAN

Data courtesy of the International Labor Organization.

MANILA – Filipinos may be the third most confident group of consumers in the world, but the Philippines also topped the list of countries with the highest unemployment rate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The data, gathered by the International Labor Organization (ILO), shows that the Philippines posted 7% unemployment rate in 2011 and 2012, but increased to 7.3% by the end of 2013.

These figures were published about a day after President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s Labor Day speech where he beamed at the government’s ability to create jobs. And not just any job, but better matched jobs.

“Kaya naman po ngayong Araw ng Paggawa, doble ang nararamdaman kong tuwa. Mayroon na akong pagkakataong lumabas ng Maynila – hindi para tumugon sa krisis o sakuna, ngunit para personal na makita ang magandang balitang bunga ng ating mga programa upang paramihin ang pagkakataon para sa mga Pilipino (That’s why this Labor Day, I feel twice as happy. I had the chance to get out of Manila—not to respond to crisis or disaster, but to personally see the fruits of our programs to increase opportunities for Filipinos),” said PNoy in Laguna.

Aquino also mentioned the three-percent decline in the country’s poverty rate as proven by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)’s findings that about 2.5 million Filipinos were able to breach the poverty line onto slightly better pastures.

“Kung tutuusin nga po, puwedeng noon pa man ay nagawa na ang mga pagbabagong ito sa ating bansa. Subalit dahil sa mga pinunong mas inuuna ang sariling interes, matagal tayong nasadlak sa malubhang kahirapan at katiwalian (If you think about it, these reforms have brought change in our country long before. But because of leaders who put their own interests first, we were plunged into extreme poverty and corruption],” PNoy said.

With reports from Ina Andolong, Solar News Philippines, and the International Labor Organization