However, the labor force participation rate decreased by 9.6 percentage points from 72.0 percent in January of the previous year to 62.4 percent in January 2019. Of the 3.369 million 15 years and over, around 2.104 million persons were in the labor force. The remaining 1.265 million comprised the persons not in the labor force. The labor force population consists of the employed and the unemployed 15 years and over.

Of the 2.104 million persons in the labor force, 95.8 percent or 2.015 million were employed. This is lower by 1.2 percentage points or 290 thousand persons from 2.305 million of the same period of 2018.

On the other hand, the unemployment rate in the region was estimated at 4.2 percent, lower by 1.2 percentage points than the rate of January last year.

There were 32.9 percent of the employed persons worked in agriculture sector, 17.2 percent worked in industry and 49.8 percent worked in services sector…

Workers were grouped into three broad sectors, namely, agriculture, industry and services sector.

Almost half of the number of employed persons worked in the services sector. These made up 49.8 percent of the total employed persons in January 2019. Among the establishments in the services sector, the largest percentage of workers (19.6%) was engaged in wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles. It was followed by transportation and storage with 7.6 percent. The least number of workers were accounted in the real estate activities with 0.2 percent.

The share of the agriculture sector exhibited a decreased by 5.5 percentage points, from 38.4 percent of the previous year to 32.9 percent in January 2019. The decreased was due to the decreased of the number of workers in agriculture, hunting, and forestry.

Those employed in the industry sector showed an increase of 3.2 percentage points from its share to the total employed persons from 14.0 percent in the first quarter of 2018 to 17.2 percent in the same quarter of 2019. Among the sub-industries of Industry Sector, construction posted the biggest number of employed persons at 10 percent and an increased of 2.4 percent compare from its number in 2018 of the same quarter.

Occupation-wise, elementary occupation workers posted the largest number of workers among the occupational group at 36.4 percent. However, compared to same quarter of previous year, a decreased of 2.5 percent was observed.

Other occupational groups that recorded decreases there share were the managers from 13.7 percent to 6.5 percent, Skilled agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers from 16.9 percent to 13.5 percent, Elementary occupations from 38.9 percent to 36.4 percent, Clerical Support workers from 3.0 percent to 2.9 percent, and Armed forces occupations from 0.2 percent to 0.1 percent.

On the other hand, Service and sales workers had a biggest increased of the number of employed workers from 12.1 percent to 18.8 percent. It was followed by Plant and Machine operators and assemblers from 3.7 percent to 6.5 percent, Professional workers from 3.3 percent to 4.6 percent. Technicians and associates professionals and Craft and related trades workers had same increase of 1.2 percentage points from 2.3 percent to 3.6 percent and from 5.8 percent to 7.0 percent, respectively.

About 62.6 percent were wage and salary workers

Of the 2.015 million employed persons, 62.6 percent were wage and salary workers. This includes worked for private household (3.5%), worked for private establishments (49.8%), worked for government and government-controlled corporation (8.8%) and worked with pay in own family-operated farm or business(0.6%).

About 25.2 percent were self-employed without any paid employee, 4.7 percent were employer in own family-operated farm or business and 7.5 percent worked without pay in own family-operated farm or business.

(Sgd.) RUBEN D. ABARO, JR.

Regional Director

For further inquiries, you may contact:

Statistical Operations & Coordination Division

Philippine Statistics Authority Regional Statistical Service Office 10

2nd Floor, Bldg. 4, Pride Rock Business Park

Gusa Highway, Cagayan de Oro City

Email: psaregion10@gmail.com

Telefax: (088) 856-4778

Technical Notes

• Starting April 2005, the new unemployment definition was adopted per NSCB Resolution Number 15 dated October 20, 2004. As indicated in the said resolution, the unemployed include all persons who are 15 years and over as of their last birthday and are reported as:

(1) without work and currently available for work and seeking work; or

(2) without work and currently available for work but not seeking work for the following reasons:

1. Tired/believed no work available
2. Awaiting results of previous job application
3. Temporary illness/disability
4. Bad weather
5. Waiting for rehire/job recall

• Starting January 2012 LFS, the codes for industry adopted the 2009 Philippine Standard Industrial Classification (PSIC). Prior to this, codes for industry used the 1994 PSIC.

• Question on vocational course was introduced in the January 2012 LFS questionnaire.

• Starting April 2016 round, the Labor Force Survey (LFS) adopted the 2013 Master Sample Design, with a sample size of approximately 44,000 households.

• The 2012 Philippine Standard Occupational Classification (PSOC) was adopted starting April 2016. The 1992 PSOC had been used prior to April 2016.

• Starting with the April 2016 LFS round, the population projections based on the 2010 Census of Population and Housing (2010 CPH) has been adopted to generate the labor force statistics.

• In January 2017 round, Computer Aided Personal Interviewing (CAPI) using Tablet was utilized in the LFS enumeration.

• Overseas Filipino Workers are not considered part of the labor force in the Philippines. Hence, in the LFS, data on economic characteristics of household members who are overseas workers are not collected. For the LFS reports, they are excluded in the estimation of the size of working population, that is, population aged 15 years and older, and in the estimation of the labor force.