(Eagle News)–The Palace on Sunday, Sept. 8, said the “uptick” in joblessness rate based on recent Social Weather Stations results was merely “seasonal.”
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo noted that data gathering for the survey which pegged the rate at 20.7 percent from the 19.7 percent in March was conducted “when students just recently graduated from their universities or colleges and started looking for employment.”
Panelo noted that despite the increase, Filipinos believe that “dadami ang trabahong maaaring pasukan,” based on the survey.
“SWS considers this net optimism on job availability excellent and at a record-high,” he added.
The percentage of jobless adults in June translates to an estimated 9.8 million Filipinos, up from the estimated 9.4 million adults out of work in March.
The SWS said the uptick in the proportion of adults in the labor force who are jobless came after two consecutive quarters of decrease.
