The List of Establishments (LE) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is a register containing records of establishments operating in the Philippines that are captured through door-to-door canvassing, lists from secondary sources, and information from the submitted survey reports. The LE is maintained by the PSA primarily to serve as the source of sampling frame for all the establishment-based surveys and census conducted by PSA. Moreover, the 2023 ULE was conducted on 02 May to 31 July 2023 and was extended until September 2023 in some areas. This operation added establishments newly captured and added to the list, including establishments which started their operations between 2020 to 2023; delisted establishments which permanently stopped operations; maintained establishments which temporarily stopped its operations at the time of visit; and updated the characteristics of establishments still in operation.
More establishments typically result in more employment opportunities
Figure 1 shows that there were 1.1 million establishments nationwide under the Micro employment group (1–9 employees), generating a total employment (TE) of 3.2 million. The number of establishments and total employment under other MSME groups were as follows:
o Small (10–99 employees): 109,910 establishments with 2.5 million TE
o Medium (100–199 employees): 4,763 establishments with 641,854 TE
o Large (200 or more employees): 4,640 establishments with 3.1 million TE
In the Cordillera Administrative Region, the Micro group recorded 28,045 establishments with a total employment of 70,481, while the Small group had 1,697 establishments employing 33,878. The Medium group comprised 56 establishments with 7,575 employees, whereas the Large group, though limited to 48 establishments, accounted for a significantly higher total employment of 29,307.
Figure 1. Number and Total Employment of Establishments in Operation by Employment Groupings (Micro, Small, Medium, and Large), Philippines: 2023
Most establishments and employees across MSME groups are found in Benguet
Across all provinces in the region, Benguet (excluding the City of Baguio) recorded the highest number of establishments and total employment across all MSME employment groups-Micro, Small, Medium, and Large. Specifically, the province registered:
- 8,705 establishments with 20,293 total employment (TE) in the Micro group
- 309 establishments with 5,562 TE in the Small group
- 7 establishments with 874 TE in the Medium group
- 11 establishments with 6,279 TE in the Large group
In comparison, the province of Abra, from Micro to Large, recorded:
- 1,781 establishments with 4,628 TE
- 114 establishments with 1,842 TE
- 1 establishment with 125 TE
- 1 establishment with 374 TE
For Apayao, the figures were:
- 1,090 establishments with 2,909 TE (Micro)
- 42 establishments with 631 TE (Small)
- 2 establishments with 291 TE (Medium)
- 1 establishment with 481 TE (Large)
Meanwhile, the provinces of Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province did not register any establishments under the Large category and thus reported no employment in that group.
Table 1. Number and Total Employment of Establishments in Operation by Province and Employment Groupings (Micro, Small, Medium, and Large), CAR: 2023
Administrative and support service activities top large employment group in CAR
Section N (Administrative and Support Service Activities) led the Large employment group in the region, accounting for 35.42% of establishments and contributing 41.9% of total employment. The second and third leading industry sections under the same group, in terms of both establishment count and employment, were Manufacturing (Section C) and Education (P), respectively.
Within the Medium employment group, Section I (Accommodation and Food Service Activities) ranked first, with 12 establishments 1,608 TE, followed by Section G (Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles) with 11 establishments with 1,567 TE. Section P( Education) placed third, registering 10 establishments with 1,211 TE.
For the Small and Micro employment groups, the top three industry sections - in no particular order - were Section G, Section I, Section C, and Section P.
Figure 2. Top 3 Industry Section by Number and Total Employment of Establishments in Operation, by Employment Groupings, CAR: 2023 LE
Section G dominates establishment counts and employment figures across all provinces
Section G — Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles — emerged as the leading industry in the Micro MSME total employment group across all provinces in the region. Several provinces also recorded Section G as the top industry in the Small employment group. In contrast, top industries in the Large group varied by province, with Financial and Insurance Activities (Section K), Construction (Section F), and Mining and Quarrying (Section B) leading in some areas. Other provinces, however, reported no establishments under the Large group.
In the Micro group, the share of establishments under Section G and corresponding total employment (TE) by province were as follows:
- Abra: 46.32% of establishments with 2,041 TE
- Apayao: 572 establishments accounting for 49.71% of TE
- Benguet (excluding the City of Baguio): 56.69% of establishments with 53.17% TE
- Ifugao: 51.76% of establishments with 2,101 TE
- Kalinga: 858 establishments with 2,626 TE
- Mountain Province: 1,005 establishments contributing 42.71% of TE
In the Small employment group, Section G continued to show significant presence across provinces:
- Abra: 35.96% of establishments with 690 TE
- Apayao: 38.10% of establishments with 260 TE
- Benguet (excluding the City of Baguio): 34.30% with 1,721 TE
- Kalinga: 40.14% of establishments with 798 TE
Meanwhile, in Ifugao, the leading industry within the Small group was Financial and Insurance Activities (Section K), comprising 26.39% of establishments and employing 439 individuals.
Figure 3. Top Industry Sections by Number and Total Employment of Establishments in Operation, by Province and Employment Groupings, CAR: 2023
In the Medium employment group, various industry sections emerged as key contributors across the provinces. Notably, Section P (Education) led in Abra, with one recorded establishment employing 125 workers. Section F (Construction) was the top contributor in Benguet and Mountain Province, with two and one establishments employing 238 and 119 individuals, respectively.
Only the provinces of Abra, Apayao, and Benguet (excluding the City of Baguio) recorded establishments with 200 or more employees, specifically under Sections K (Financial and Insurance Activities), F (Construction), and B (Mining and Quarrying), respectively.
(SGD)
VILLAFE P. ALIBUYOG
Regional Director
Designation Initials Date
CSS AFRB 30 June 2025
SSS WBM
SA COSW JMO
TECHNICAL NOTES
Establishment is defined as an economic unit under a single ownership or control; engages in one or predominantly one kind of economic activity; and at a single fixated physical location.
Updating of the List of Establishments (ULE) is a regular activity undertaken to provide an updated and reliable list of establishments. It’s being done during the reference year of the Census of Philippine Business and Industry (CPBI), that is, one year prior to the actual census data collection.
Total Employment (TE) refers to the total number of persons who work in or for the establishment. This includes paid employees, working owners, unpaid workers and all employees who work full-time or part-time including seasonal workers. Persons working in the establishment but under a sub-contract agreement or manpower agencies/contractors are excluded.
MSME Classification stands for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises. These are businesses classified based on their size, particularly by the number of employees, annual turnover, or assets. For statistical purposes, establishments are grouped according to total employment as follows:
Micro – Establishments with Total Employment of 1 to 9
Small – Establishments with Total Employment of 10 to 99
Medium – Establishments with Total Employment of 100 to 19
Large – Establishments with Total Employment of 200 and more
Industry Sections typically refer to broad categories or divisions of establishments within the economy that derives major income or revenue.
