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Cyclical unemployment

According to the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the latest Labor Force Survey showed that the Philippines continues to suffer from “cyclical unemployment,” characterized by seasonality of jobs.

TUCP vice president Luis Corral said the labor survey should serve as a wakeup call for economic managers to implement the Trabaho para sa Bayan Plan, a 10-year employment roadmap that would supposedly generate jobs.

“Beyond the jobs data that paint progress, we must be hard-nosed and face up to the disconnect between official statistics and public sentiment as reflected in a recent Pulse Asia survey, which revealed only 23 percent of Filipinos approve of the government’s efforts to create more jobs,” Corral said.

The Trabaho para sa Bayan inter-agency council should work harder amid the potential impact of US president-elect Donald Trump’s tariff and protectionist policies, he added, also pointing out that the Marcos Jr. administration is already halfway through its term of office, without realizing its promise of more and better jobs for Filipinos.

The government often touts supposedly improving employment figures, but rarely discusses the details when it comes to matters like  underemployment and cyclical unemployment, which can and do happen at the same time, because it is not a good look.

Instead, the government officials concerned should focus less on looking good and more on providing better jobs, both in terms of quantity and quality, because everyone knows that while some form of employment is indeed available in this country, jobs that provide long term security, career growth, and satisfaction remain few and far between.

Cyclical unemployment, which provides jobs depending on seasonality, is a form of employment that many Negrenses are aware of, as the sugarcane industry is one of the country’s most notorious seasonal employers, although it probable pales in comparison to the Philippione national and local government’s dependence on job order and casual workers. It is a metric that should be given more attention by both the government and private sector as it is a symptom of the poor quality of jobs still available for Filipinos.

Hopefully it is addressed with permanent solutions, instead of the usual seasonal ones.*

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February 2025
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