Labor Sec. Bienvenido Laguesma downplayed the slight uptick in the number of unemployed people in the Philippines.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data shows that the unemployment rate climbed from 5.2 percent in July 2022 to 5.3 percent in August 2022.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) chief pointed out that the report also shows that the unemployment rate dropped from 8.1 percent in August 2021.
"One year kasi ang dapat na comparison. Hindi pwede yung magkasunod na buwan," Laguesma said on Friday, October 7, during DZRH's Dos Por Dos.
Laguesma said that more Filipinos look for employment but the lack of quality jobs and the issue of skills mismatch continue to cause a challenge for applicants.
"Meron trabaho pero ang masasabi natin ay overqualified sila doon sa trabaho nila," Laguesma said.
"Sana makalikha ang pribadong sektor ng mas permanenteng trabaho, mas maayos na benepisyo, at secured sila (job applicants). Hindi lang yung pagdating ng maiksing panahon ay wala na naman trabaho," he added.
Usec. Dennis Mapa, PSA chief, and national statistician said that the 5.3 percent unemployment rate translates to 2.68 million unemployed members of the labor force in the Philippines.
