POVERTY a TREND: Unemployment

MANILA, Philippines? The International Labor Organization has warned the Philippines that the worst is not over in the employment front. Although the government claims it has reduced the unemployment rate through emergency employment measures, it does not mean that the worst has passed.


The report warns us of a W-shaped recovery. It is possible for the economy and employment to grow but the rate of growth is likely to slow or dip, so it is crucial to have job protection policies in place,? ILO country representative Linda Wirth said in a statement.


The United Nations agency said the Philippines and other countries should continue and expand their safety net programs. The financial crisis that led to record unemployment rate worldwide has shrunk incomes and rendered vulnerable women and youth.


The issue is not just open unemployment but vulnerable employment, underemployment and a rise in the number of working poor as income shrinks. We see workers living on the margin and at risk of falling further into poverty,? Wirth noted.


Wirth said many workers who lost their jobs have yet to find jobs again, even as governments talk of recovery in 2010. The Philippines? export sector was severely hit by the crisis.


Many workers who have lost their jobs in export-oriented industries cannot afford to remain unemployed and instead will take any form of employment in the informal sector to have some income, perhaps in farming or street vending,? said Wirth.


In the Philippines, the unemployment rate rose slightly to 7.5 percent in 2009. To cushion the effects of the crisis on the employment sector, the government set aside billions of pesos for infrasture projects that would contractually employ about 500,000 workers.


The number of workers in vulnerable employment in the South-East Asia Pacific region is estimated to have increased by up to 5 million since 2008, when the crisis was felt all over the world, according to ILO.


The regional unemployment rate rose by 5.6 percent in 2009, and is expected to remain steady in 2010, according to the ILO. The global unemployment rate rose to 6.6 percent in 2009, an increase of 0.9 percentage points over 2007.


The unemployment rate in the Philippines today is very alarming since it is increasing as time passes by. As our population grows higher, the number of graduates increases, and there are no enough jobs for them to be employed, then, poverty rate is still rising. Imagine, the unemployment data from the January 2009 Labor Force Survey confirms the country’s descent into greater joblessness due to the global crisis and accumulated domestic economic weaknesses.


According to the data of IBON Foundation Inc., a research group, there are now 4.3 million Filipinos who are jobless today. The IBON Foundation estimates that some 2.5% of the working age population, 15 years old and above are considered part of the labor force, which implies an additional 1.5 million jobless on top of the 2.9 million officially reported, for a total of roughly 4.3 million jobless. The number of jobless could be even much higher if, as is likely, labor force participation rates this year become bloated by even greater numbers of discouraged job-seekers.


The latest unemployment report underscores the deep problems of the economy: its weakened internal ability to grow, create jobs, provide incomes, and cope with the crisis. This also underscores the hazard of relying on export-oriented manufacturing instead of a solid and expanding base of domestic demand, such as would be immediately created by a strategy of genuine asset and wealth distribution. The country faces greater joblessness in the coming months, and the worst is yet to come especially with the government’s inadequate response to address the country’s severe unemployment.


Source: Unemployment

REACTION (Unemployment)

            In college, our teacher taught us that Employment (unemployment or underemployment) is a key determinant for poverty. Many graduate students feel the hunger for employment. This does not only happen to them. The mere fact that thousands of people graduate from different colleges and universities, these people tend to flood companies just to get a hand of the job.

The reason why poverty comes around because of unemployment is simple enough. Money is needed to survive. Not a lot of it is required, but a significant amount must be continuously raised to meet an individual’s four basic needs: food, clothing, shelter, and healthcare. Without employment, the ways and means of acquiring these four basic needs will be gone. As a result, people are drawn deeper into poverty.

Being on a third world country, it claims to be developing - industrialization and all sort of thing. Despite the vast development of numerous establishments, still people were not able to get hold of a job.

One particular reason is the quality of education a person has. Not only here in the Philippines but mostly all does require one to be a College graduate if not at least finished one's tertiary level. Aside from that all records in school should be on a top listed - which would mean good grades in all aspects. A good personality is a must, good English communication skills, etchetera.

But not everyone defines as above. For one problem of Filipino families who are not able to earn enough money for their children's tuition fees is to send their children on a public school. It goes on as unlike other country, the public school system in Philippines is deteriorating. This poor standard of education also leads to poor skills and low levels of competence. This in turn leads to great difficulties in finding jobs.