National Statistician Dennis Claire Mapa said the unemployment rate was equivalent to an estimated 7.3 million jobless people, higher than the 2.3 million in the same month in 2019. The employment rate also plummeted to 82.3 percent in April 2020 from 94.9 percent in the same month last year. “This translates to a decrease in employed persons from 41.8 million in April 2019 to 33.8 million in April 2020,” said Mapa. This corresponds to about 6.4 million underemployed workers from 5.6 million a year ago. “We are saddened — albeit unsurprised — by the April 2020 unemployment rate released by the Philippine Statistics Authority which registered at 17.7 percent,” Roque said in a statement.

Source: Manila Times June 05, 2020 16:30 UTC