Jobless rate down, but underemployment up

By: Inquirer.net - 6 years ago

THE jobless rate slightly declined to 5.5 percent in April although underemployment inched up to 17 percent, the government reported Tuesday.

Preliminary Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed that the unemployment rate improved from 5.7 percent in April last year.

But the PSA’s April Labor Force Survey showed that the underemployment rate rose from 16.1 percent a year ago.

The PSA defines the underemployed as “employed persons who express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job, or to have additional job, or to have a new job with longer working hours.”