Family income hardly rose - survey

The average income of Filipino families hardly increased in January to June 2021 from three years earlier, a survey released on Saturday by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.

Citing the highlights of the preliminary results of the 2021 Family Income and Expenditure Survey, the PSA said the average income of Filipino families from January to June 2021 was estimated at P149,980, up barely 0.2 percent from the P149,710 in the same period in 2018.

It also said that average family expenditure over the same period was P113,670, down 5.9 percent from P120,750 in the first half of 2018.

"Wages and salaries remained to be the primary source of family income," the agency added.

Wages and salaries accounted for 51.4 percent of total household income in the first six months of the year. This was estimated to be 49.5 percent in 2018.

Wages and salaries, entrepreneurial activities, cash receipts from overseas, imputed rent and cash receipts from domestic sources, the PSA added, continue to be the largest contributors to total family income.

"The expenditure on food items remained to have the highest share of total expenditures in the first half of 2021," it continued.

Food expenditures accounted for 42.9 percent of total income, followed by housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (25.1 percent), insurance, and miscellaneous activities (7.3 percent), transport (5.7 percent) and health (3.3 percent).

Source: Manila times

PH gets high e-commerce jobs growth outlook

The Philippines recorded a high employment growth forecast of 86.7 percent for e-commerce jobs, reflecting positive business in the country, according to a study commissioned by the Department of Trade and Industry.

In the Job Outlook Survey, the Philippines registered an 86.7 percent E-commerce Job Outlook Index (EJI) for the first time in the baseline study, reflecting a positive business outlook. E-Commerce Job Outlook is the forecast of the rate of employment growth or decline in occupation.

The study undertaken by Acquisition Apps, Inc. (AAI)/Tangere, a market research start-up that created a diffusion index similar to the Purchasing Manager’s Index.

The Job Outlook Survey revealed that most companies require Digital Marketing Specialist (52%), followed by a Social Media Specialist (38%), Account Manager (26%), Content Strategist/Writer (20%), Data Analyst/Business Intelligence (20%), and Quality Assurance Specialist (20%).

It was also shown the soft skills are also critical such as communication, persuasion, critical thinking, problem-solving, and adaptability as these are what HR recruiters and HR heads claim they look for primarily among applicants.

Digital talents in the Philippines can either have formal or informal education or training, the study revealed. While recruiters are open to non-degree holders, college graduates are still preferred for entry-level jobs. The Job Outlook Survey also revealed that Facebook and job websites such as LinkedIn, are major talent sourcing channels by the respondents.

Meantime, DTI also cited an online study, which showed that 75 percent of HR managers in companies engaged in e-commerce interviewed said that the e-commerce sector is thriving and there is a need to hire additional talents in the country.

DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez explained during the 2nd meeting of the E-Commerce Promotion Council also validated a study conducted by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company in 2021 which named the Philippines as the fastest growing internet economy in Southeast Asia.

Lopez, however, acknowledged the need for upskilling and reskilling of workers. The reported noted that “talent remains a key factor that all parties will need to keep working toward ensuring that the momentum gained this year is sustained.”

“One of the key strategies of the e-Commerce Philippines 2022 Roadmap is to make available a talent pool of digitally skilled workers. Skills mismatch has often been cited as a perennial problem in various industries and if we are to achieve maximum growth for the e-commerce sector, we must understand the e-commerce workforce ecosystem and identify the demand requirement so we can supply relevant skills,” the trade chief said.

Lopez added that one of the key findings of the Job Outlook study identified the differing needs of e-commerce enterprises, with micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) requiring more digital talent in the areas of content creation and technical skills (website development, software developers), while large companies require digital talents on business intelligence and strategy.

Further, Lopez said that the Job Outlook Survey provided relevant information such as the tasks, skills, foundational courses, and pay scale of various jobs in e-commerce.

The E-Commerce Job Outlook Survey was developed by AAI/Tangere, one of the top 100 Startups in the world based on the Microsoft Emerge X Program. It was conducted from January 10 to February 10 and employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches, utilizing Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) among e-commerce merchants, intermediaries, training institutions, and professional organizations.

Meanwhile, the online survey among HR heads or managers of companies engaged in e-commerce was done from March 1 to 11, 2022.

Source: Manila Bulletin

More Filipinos join labor force in February 2022 as economy reopens

More Filipinos were actively seeking employment, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, as the economy reopened further in February, latest figures of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.

On Thursday, April 7, the PSA reported that there were 48.6 million Filipinos in the labor force in February, 2.67 million more than the figure in January. This translates to a labor force participation rate (LFPR) of 63.8%, higher than 60.5% a month earlier.

The LFPR is important to note as it gives a snapshot of the number of labor resources for the economy. It also gives the government an idea of the combined figure of people with jobs and those who are still actively looking for work.

The LFPR in February is higher than full-year 2020’s 59.5% and pre-pandemic or 2019’s 61.28%.

The unemployment rate in February settled at 6.4%, the same as the figure in January. But this translates to 3.13 million people with no jobs, around 200,000 more people compared to January, as more Filipinos joined the labor force.

Meanwhile, the underemployment rate, which measures the number of people with jobs but are looking for more hours of work, declined to 14% from 14.9%. This translates to 6.38 million people underemployed in February, fewer than the 6.4 million people in January.

National Statistician Dennis Mapa said there were more regular, on-site jobs in February.

“As we contained the spread of the Omicron variant and ramped up the vaccination program, we were able to revert to Alert Level 2 in the National Capital Region and other economic centers starting February 2022. This allowed more Filipinos to rejoin the labor force. We aim to shift the entire country to Alert Level 1 to enable even more Filipinos to find work,” said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua.

Agriculture, wholesale and retail trade, and accommodation and food services added the most jobs on a monthly basis.

Meanwhile, administrative and support services, manufacturing, and financial and insurance activities posted the sharpest drops.

Pushing for face-to-face classes

Chua said that while employment figures have improved, all schools need to be reopened to reap the full benefits of a more open economy. There are still areas in Alert Level 1 that have not reopened schools.

“To maximize the shift to Alert Level 1, we reiterate the need for the full and urgent resumption of face-to-face classes. This will allow one-fourth of the parents who stay at home supporting their children during online classes to work. This is crucial in light of the temporary inflationary pressures we are experiencing due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” said Chua.

Source: Rappler