Extended MECQ Led to Rise in Unemployment Rate

Unemployment rate in September 2021 rose to 8.9 percent, which is higher that the 8.1 percent unemployment rate recorded in August of the same year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Moreover, PSA also reported that the labor force participation dropped to 63.3 percent in September, down from 63.6 percent in August 2021.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and NEDA director general Karl Kendrick Chua attributed the decline in the unemployment rate to the imposed quarantine restrictions in different parts of the country.

Chua also emphasized the extended modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) the National Capitol Region had up to September 2021.

“These results were expected as many parts of the country remained under stringent and blanket quarantines for most of the survey period. In particular, the modified enhanced community quarantine was extended in the National Capital Region up to September 15,” Chua said.

The drop in the unemployment rate is equivalent to 642,000 jobs lost. (GFB)