Number of jobless Filipinos increases following reimposition of lockdown measures
The number of jobless Filipinos increased anew in April after the government reinforced lockdown measures to stem the renewed surge of COVID-19 infections.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the unemployment rate in April grew to 8.7%, which is equivalent to 4.14 million jobless individuals, from 7.1% in March, or 3.44 million.
In March 29, the government placed Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the government’s strictest lockdown level. The lockdown reimposed curfew hours and limited business operations to essential services. It was implemented due to a surge of COVID-19 cases in late March, where daily infections reached record highs that peaked at 15,000 cases in a day.
The government’s economic managers acknowledged in a joint statement how the ECQ imposed from March 29 to May 15 undid economic gains since the pandemic started last year. But the government noted that the setback was marginal this time compared to last year, when unemployment reached a record-high of 17.6% in April 2020 at the height of quarantine restrictions.
“(C)ompared to last year’s ECQ, the overall labor market outcomes are substantially better as we took a more risk-based approach in imposing restrictions,” a statement by the economic managers said.
The government noted that instead of shutting down three-fourths of the economy, more sectors were allowed to operate along with public transportation.
“Our experience this year shows that we can reduce cases while helping people recover their jobs and income at the same time.”
The economic managers are now banking on the arrival of 27.7 million vaccine doses slated to come by batches until July to help jumpstart business activity.
“We are confident that we can bring more Filipinos safely to work, inoculate 70 million Filipinos or the entire adult population by the end of the year, and recover strongly in the next two years,” the statement read.
The government is targeting an economic growth this year of 6-7%, after last year’s economy crashed by -9.6%, the lowest on record. Other institutions, however, have much lower economic projections. The World Bank, for instance, just lowered today its outlook for the growth of the country’s gross domestic product this year to 4.7% from the previous 5.5%.
(Banner photo: A cleaning staff prepares a guest room at hotel in Pasay City on May 21, 2021. KJ Rosales / The Philippine Star)