DAVAO CITY—Employment was up in the Davao region last year, though by just above one percentage point from the previous year, but economists say that the increasing rate of new investments pouring into the region is a “promising sign of better years ahead.”
The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) reported that the region “showed [it was] able to sustain the upward movement in employment rates, hitting 94.2 percent, which is 1.1 percentage points higher than the 2013 figures.”
The latest employment rate was also “just slightly above the employment-rate target of 94.1.”
The Neda added: “The increase is mainly on account of the robust business and investment climate, particularly in services [and] especially in the ICT [information and communication technology] sector, and agriculture, where the bulk of the labor force is concentrated.”
Notwithstanding the slight increase, the Neda described last year’s rate as a “solid performance,” which, it said, was “indicative of the effective job generation and facilitation efforts of the government, which are continually gaining more ground.”
The Neda cited a Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) report that 69,568 job seekers were placed in local employment last year, “way above the 2014 target of 51,310 job seekers.”
“In 2014 more people joined the labor force, as indicated by the increase in the labor-force participation rate, from 64.2 percent in 2013 to 65.4 percent in 2014,” it added.
This translates to 2.05 million workers in the region, higher by 61,000 workers than the previous year.
Conversely, the DOLE disclosed that the unemployment rate declined by the same 1.1-percentage-point margin, as compared with the previous year.
However, the DOLE admitted that more employed Filipinos found it hard to make both ends meet, and told government labor survey that they needed additional source of income. Last year underemployment was recorded at 19.3 percent, higher than the 2013 level of 17.3 percent.
The Neda said that this suggested “that in 2014, more workers were doing part-time and intermittent jobs, while many were in search for longer work hours with better pay.”
The Neda added that “quality jobs are a primary societal goal; hence, programs for job generation should be intensified, besides promoting diversification and value-adding activities in agricultural production.”
“Overall, the employment, unemployment and labor-force participation rates of the region exhibited better results compared to the national average figures of 93.2 percent, 6.8 percent and 64.5 percent, respectively,” the Neda said.
Troop deployment
IN a related development, a company of soldiers has been sent to Davao to help government forces there in their bid to downgrade the capability of the New People’s Army (NPA) to carry out attacks, if not end their presence in the region, a military commander said.
The deployment of 120 soldiers from the Army’s 7th Infantry Division (ID) from Nueva Ecija to the Davao region was still part of the Armed Forces’ determined effort to turn the NPA into a mere “manageable” force under the Oplan Bayanihan, set until the term of President Aquino.
“The additional 120 soldiers from the 7th ID will help in our campaign to defeat the CPP [Communist Party of the Philippines]-NPA here in the Davao region. They will be deployed to augment our peace and development-outreach program teams. Some will join strike forces in decimating the NPA armed groups,” 10th ID Cmdr. Maj. Gen. Eduardo Ano said.
“We also hope that with additional manpower, we will be more effective in the conduct of focused military operations in order to pressure NPA members to surrender and avail themselves of the benefits of the comprehensive local integration program and start a new life,” he added.
The soldiers, who arrived in Davao over the weekend, were equally deployed to the 69th, 84th and 71st Infantry Battalions, which are all under the operational commands of the 10th ID.
“The Davao region is where the NPA has heavy presence of armed groups…they are the ones responsible in extortion against mining companies. They also hamper the implementation of high-impact government projects in the area. We have to stop these atrocities to bring about development,” Ano said.