ARMM posts lower employment rate

DAVAO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) posted an employment rate of 93.7% in January 2019, lower compared to 97.4% recorded in the same period of last year, according to the results of the January 2019 Labor Force Survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released on Thursday.

The ARMM had been replaced by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao after majority of its population voted in favor of the ratification of the Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (OLBARMM) in a plebiscite last January 21 and February 6.

The latest employment figure of the ARMM was the lowest among Mindanao’s six regions and the second lowest in the Philippines. The National Capital Region had the lowest at 93.6% while the highest was 96.9% of the Cagayan Valley.

The ARMM registered a labor force participation rate (LFPR) of 47.7%, the lowest in the Philippines, given the population 15 years old and over of 2.44 million as of January 2019.

The Northern Mindanao posted the highest employment rate at 95.8% in Mindanao; Davao Region, 95.5%; Zamboanga Peninsula and Soccsksargen, 95.4%; and Caraga, 94.1%.

Based on the preliminary results of the Annual Labor and Employment Estimates for 2018 of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the ARMM’s employment rate of 96.3% for the entire 2018 was the highest in Mindanao.

The country’s employment rate in January 2019 was estimated at 94.8%, slightly higher compared to 94.7% recorded in the same period last year. The survey found the LFPR in the country was 60.2% given the population 15 years old and over of 72.95 million.

Workers in the services sector comprised the largest proportion of the employed population at 58.1%; agriculture sector, 22.1%; and industry sector, 19.7%.