Skip to main content
Release Date :

The Labor Force Survey (LFS) provides a snapshot or the stock of economically active persons in the country at a particular point or reference period. It aims to monitor the changes in the employment status of persons in the working age population (employed, unemployed and not in the labor force) during a specified time period using the Labor Force Framework.

The LFS concept and measurement follows the international standards concerning statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment adopted by the 13th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) in October 1982 at Geneva, Switzerland.

CAR Labor Force Participation Rate (LFRP) is 65.8%

  • The results of the October 2016 Labor Force Survey showed that the Philippines’ labor force participation rate of persons whose age is 15 years old and over was estimated at 63.6 percent or about 43.7 million.
  • Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) was among the region with an LFPR higher than the national rate. Compared to the same quarter in 2015, the LFPR decreased by 0.6 percentage point from 66.4 in October 2015 to 65.8 in October 2016.

Table 1. Labor Force Participation Rate, Top SixRegions: October 2016

Country / Region Total Population 15 Years Old and Over Total Labor Force Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) (%)
Philippines 68, 743,000 43, 724, 000 63.6
        Region VII: Central Visayas 4, 134,000 2, 814, 000 68.1
        Region X: Northern Mindanao 3, 196, 000 2, 150, 000 67.3
        Negros Island Region 3, 106, 000 2, 079, 000 66.9
       Region II ;Cagayan Valley 2, 352, 000 1, 562, 000 66.4
       Region IV-B MIMAROPA 2, 009, 000 1, 327, 000 66.1
       CAR 3, 42, 000 803, 000 65.8

Source:  Philippine Statistics Authority

 

Employment rate in CAR decrease by 0.4 percentage point

  • The number of employed persons decreased by 0.4 percentage point from 95.9 percent in October 2015 to 95.5 percent in October 2016.

Table 2. Percentage of Employed Persons in the Labor Force of CAR: October 2015 and October 2016

Country / Region Labor Force Participation Rate Employment Rate
October 2015 (%) October 2016 (%) October 2015 (%) October 2016 (%)
Philippines 63.5 63.2 93.9 94.6
       CAR 65.9 65.5 95.9 95.5

Source:  Philippine Statistics Authority

More males are employed in CAR

  • Of the 767,000 employed persons in CAR for October 2016, 59.5 percent were males while 40.5 percent were females.
  • Both the employed males and females in the region increased by 0.1 percentage point from October 2015 to October 2016.

Most employed are with high school education

  • As to educational attainment of employed persons, 39.0 percent had high school education of which 26.5 percent graduated while 12.5 percent did not graduate.
  • Employed persons with college education followed with 32.1 percent of the total employed persons in the region. Of these, 21.3 percent graduated while 10.8 percent did not finish college.
  • Employed persons with elementary level education came third with a share of 24.2 percent, of which 10.6 percent graduated while 13.7 percent did not graduate.
  • Employed persons with Post-Secondary level education accounted to only 3.4 percent of the total employed persons in the region. There were 3.1 percent employed persons who graduated while 0.3 percent were undergraduates.
  • The percentage of employed persons in CAR for October 2016 with no education or grade level completed was at 1.2 percent. This level had the lowest incidence of employment in the region.

 

Agriculture Industry Employs the Most

  • Agriculture and Forestry continued to be the biggest employer in the region with 44.6 percent share in October 2016. The share of the industry decreased by 3.6 percentage point compared to October 2015.
  • Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles ranked as the second largest sub-industry group with 12.1 percent of the total employed persons in October 2016.
  • Public Administration and Defense made up the third largest sub-industry group accounting for 7.4 percent.
  • Manufacturing shared only 2.0 percent of the total employed persons in the region in October 2016 considering that this sub-industry group had the biggest share to the regional economy.
Elementary Occupations Comprise 31.3%
  • Among the occupation groups, elementary occupations remained to be the largest group of employed persons in CAR with 31.3 percent of the total regional employment in October 2016. This decreased by 3.5 percentage points compared to October 2015.
  • Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers ranked the second largest occupation group with 22.6 percent of the total employed persons which increased by 1.0 percentage points from October 2015.
  • Managers made up the third largest occupational group accounting for 12.1 percent in October 2016.

Underemployment at 25.2%

  • The underemployment rate of CAR was 18.9 percent and the visible underemployment rate was 8.6 percent.
  • The total underemployment in CAR was 145,000 of which 54.5 percent of the underemployed persons already worked 40 hours per week and over.
  • Meanwhile, those who work less than 40 hours a week accounted 45.5 percent of the total underemployed estimates of the region.

Unemployment

  • Unemployment rate in the region increased by 0.4 percentage point, from 4.1 percent in October 2015 to 4.5 percent in October 2016. Female unemployed persons increased while male unemployed persons decreased.

 


Technical Notes


In the Labor Force or Economically Active Population - This refers to population 15 years old and over who are either employed or unemployed in accordance with the definitions described below.

Employed Persons - Persons who, during the reference period are 15 years and over as of their last birthday and are reported either:

a.     At work - Those who do any work even for one hour during the reference period for pay or profit, or work without pay on the farm or business enterprise operated by a member of the same household related by blood, marriage or adoption; or

b.     With a job but not at work - Those who have a job or business but are not at work because of temporary illness/injury, vacation or other reasons. Likewise, persons who expect to report for work or to start operation of a farm or business enterprise within two weeks from the date of the enumerator's visit are considered employed.

Underemployed Persons - Employed persons who express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or an additional job; or to have a new job with longer working hours. Visibly underemployed persons are those who work for less than 40 hours during the reference period and want additional hours of work.

Unemployed Persons - Persons who, during the reference period are 15 years old and over as of their last birthday who have no job/business and actively looking for work. Also considered as unemployed are persons without a job or business who are reported not looking for work because of their belief that no work was available or because of temporary illness/disability, bad weather, pending job application or waiting for job interview.

Persons Not in the Labor Force - Persons 15 years old and over who are neither employed nor unemployed according to the definitions mentioned. It refers to those persons who are not looking for work because of reasons such as housekeeping, schooling, etc. Examples are housewives, students, disabled or retired persons.

Work - Any economic activity that a person does for pay in cash or in kind, in any establishment, office, farm, private home or for profit or without pay on a family farm or enterprise. It also includes what a farm operator or member of the operator's family does on the farm operated by another household on exchange labor arrangement.

Work also refers to any activity that a person does in relation to minor activities in home gardening, raising of crops, fruits, hogs, poultry etc., fishing for home consumption and manufacturing for own use are also considered work. There must be some harvest in the case of home gardening, raising of crops, fruits and nuts and gathering of wild fruits and vegetables; animals disposed of (sold, consumed, bartered or given away) or some catch in fishing in order that these activities will be considered work.

Unpaid family workers or those who work without pay on own family-operated farm or business - These are members of the family who assist another member in the operation of the family farm or business enterprise, and who do not receive any wage or salary for their work. The room and board and any cash allowance given as incentives are not counted as compensation for these family workers.

Number of hours worked - This refers to the total number of hours a person actually worked in all the jobs/businesses that he held. It includes the duration or the period the person was occupied in his work, including overtime, but excluding hours paid but not worked. The normal working hours per day is the usual or prescribed working hours of a person in his primary job/business which is considered a full day's work.

 

 

Tags

PRESS RELEASE: PSA Benguet conducts the 2023 September Labor Force Survey (LFS)

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-Benguet Provincial Statistical Office will be conducting the monthly Labor Force Survey (LFS) from 08 to 28 September 2023.