More agri workers quit jobs in Q2–PSA

MORE workers in the agriculture sector left their jobs in the second quarter of the year compared to the first quarter, according to data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Preliminary data showed more workers decided to terminate their employment in the second quarter, causing the labor turnover rate (LTR) in the sector to contract 0.2 percent in the April-to-June period.

The LTR is the percent difference between the accession rate, which is the rate of hiring workers, and the separation rate, or the rate of the combined employee resignations and layoffs.

The PSA said the accession rate in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector was at 3.9 percent while the separation rate was at 4.1 percent, leading to a negative LTR in the second quarter.

“While employment increment occurred in agriculture, forestry and fishing sector (6.3 percent) and industry sector (2.4 percent) in the first quarter, notable job losses in the same sectors were registered in the second quarter at -0.2 percent and -0.9 percent, respectively,” PSA said in a statement.

Data showed that overall, the first two quarters of 2019 showed positive growth in the labor turnover rate at 0.5 percent in the first quarter and continued to improve to 0.7 percent in the second quarter.

PSA said the accession rate for the first and second quarters were unchanged at 9.3 percent and 9.5 percent, respectively.

With this, PSA said an average of 94 workers per 1000 were employed in the first

two quarters of the year, and were hired for business expansion or replacement of separated workers.

The separation rate, meanwhile, indicated that 88 workers per 1000 employed were either laid off or quit their jobs during the first semester.

Employment declines were seen in mining and quarrying, to -10.8 percent from 6.1 percent; and electricity gas, steam and airconditioning supply, to -1 percent from 0.6 percent.

The employment decline in the manufacturing sector continued with a contraction of 1.3 percent from 1.6 percent.

Meanwhile, employment gains in water supply, sewerage waste management and remediation activities and construction moved at a slower pace from 5.3 percent to 3.9 percent and 9.5 percent to 0.4 percent, respectively. Cai U. Ordinario