Q1 sees more workers hired than displaced in agri sector: PSA

The PSA data said labor accession or hiring in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing (AFF) subsectors nationwide hit a 6.9-percent rate, exceeding the sector’s 4.9-percent labor separation or displacement rate, for January-March 2018. (PNA photo)

MANILA — More workers were hired than displaced in the agriculture sector, latest data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for the first quarter of 2018 showed.

The PSA data said labor accession or hiring in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing (AFF) subsectors nationwide hit a 6.9-percent rate, exceeding the sector’s 4.9-percent labor separation or displacement rate, for January-March 2018.

Such accession and separation of workers resulted in AFF’s positive 2.07-percent labor turn-over rate, the PSA noted.

Accessions or new hires are either permanent or temporary additions to employment due to an expansion of business activity, replacement of workers separated from their jobs, and changes in methods and technology of production or service.

Separation is employment termination that is either employee- or employer-initiated.

Employer-initiated separation may be due to either economic reasons like financial losses and market shortage or non-economic reasons, such as an employee’s absence without leave and gross negligence, the PSA said.

Replacement of separated workers and expansion of business activity accounted for AFF’s labor accession in the January-March 2018 period, the PSA data showed.

AFF labor separation then was both employee-initiated and employer-spearheaded.

Meanwhile, January-March 2018 accession rates reached 12.28 percent for the industry sector and 8.81 percent for services, the PSA data also showed.

Separation rates then for the industry sector hit 8.58 percent and 7.43 percent for the services sector.