Gov’t targets full F2F classes
The government is targeting the full resumption of face-to-face classes to spur employment in hardest-hit sectors, a socioeconomic official said.
“Higher oil prices and seasonal factors have impacted workers in the transport and agriculture sectors, respectively, and hindered some from going to work. To address this, the government will urgently distribute targeted subsidies to the hardest-hit sectors to cushion higher prices,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said yesterday.
“However, the country cannot reap the full benefits of Alert Level 1 without the full resumption of face-to-face classes. This is among the strategies cited in Executive Order 166, which adopts the Economic Development Cluster’s 10-point policy agenda to accelerate and sustain economic recovery,” Chua added.
Without the full resumption of face-to-face classes, businesses that cater to students remain closed or operate at a reduced capacity. In addition, one-fourth of parents cannot go to work as they need to support and manage their children’s online schooling, thus limiting the income generation of some households.
“The Philippine economy has recovered to its pre-pandemic gross domestic product level this year. We must now focus on accelerating our growth by strengthening our domestic economy and investing in the education and development of our children. This will help secure better employment opportunities for future generations,” the official said.
Meanwhile, the country’s unemployment rate went down from 5.8 percent in March 2022 to 5.7 percent in April 2022, the lowest since the start of the pandemic. Underemployment also declined from 15.8 percent to 14 percent during the same period, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed.
However, fewer Filipinos participated in the labor force because of supply chain disruptions brought about by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and seasonal factors in agriculture, among others.
Moreover, PSA Undersecretary Dennis Mapa said, “The labor force participation rate declined from 65.4 percent to 63.4 percent, translating to a net employment loss of 1.3 million between March and April.”
Without the full resumption of face-to-face classes, businesses that cater to students remain closed or operate at a reduced capacity.
Of the 1.3 million net employment loss, 1.1 million were from agriculture, while 500,000 were from services. This was slightly tempered by the 300,000 employment generated in the industry sector.
“The government is rolling out targeted subsidies amounting to P6.1 billion for the transport and agriculture sectors. This consists of P5 billion worth of fuel vouchers to qualified public utility vehicle drivers and operators who will each receive a P6,500 fuel subsidy under the Pantawid Pasada program,” Chua explained.
Meanwhile, P1.1 billion will be distributed as fuel discounts to farmers and fisherfolk.
The Civil Service Commission has also allowed government offices to adopt flexible work arrangements, such as a four-day workweek, to help employees save on fuel costs.
Despite external risks, overall employment remains at 3.1 million above the pre-pandemic level as around 80 percent of the economy has been placed under Alert Level 1.