The proportion of Filipino working children in the age group of 5 to 17 years old saw a rise to 4.7% in 2022, as compared to 4.3% in 2021 and 2.8% in 2020, the latest data from Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revealed.
The actual number of working children was estimated at 1.48 million in 2022, reflecting an increase of 112,000 from the 1.37 million recorded in 2021. In 2020, the number of working children stood at 872,000.
Among the total number of working children, boys outnumbered girls. In 2022, out of the 1.48 million working children, 868,000 (58.7%) were boys, while 610 thousand (41.3%) were girls. Similar trends were observed in 2021 and 2020, with more than 60.0% of working children being boys.
Analyzing the age groups, the older children (15 to 17 years old) constituted the majority of working children, accounting for 59.7% in 2022.
In 2021 and 2020, the proportion of working children in this age group was estimated at 63.85% and 68.9%, respectively.
The services sector emerged as the primary employment sector for working children in 2022, absorbing 49.5% of the total working children.
In 2021 and 2020, it accounted for 45.4% and 43.4%, respectively.
The agriculture sector followed closely, with a share of 43.2% in 2022, which was the second-largest share.
On the other hand, the industry sector continued to have the smallest share of working children, comprising only 7.3% in 2022, 9.0% in 2021, and 9.1% in 2020.
