DOLE calls for ‘safe’ reopening of businesses as unemployment rate rises

Labor and Employment Sec. Silvestre Bello III. Senate PRIB file photo / Henzberg Austria

MANILA, Philippines — The country should “safely reopen” businesses to address rising unemployment rate in the country, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Wednesday.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the imposition of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) within the NCR Plus from March to April and modified ECQ in May have “significantly affected” the economy.

The unemployment rate increased to 8.7 percent or 4.1 million unemployed, from 7.1 percent or 3.4 million unemployed in March, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

READ: PH unemployment rate rose in April 2021 after ECQ reimposition

“The DOLE is one with the economic managers in safely reopening businesses so mobility of workers is also facilitated in a less restrictive community quarantine levels,” Bello said in a statement.

“This is the only way to sustain our employment recovery and economic recovery efforts,” he added.

Bello said the DOLE has anticipated that the improvement in employment reported in March 2021 “will not be sustained” due to imposition of ECQ and MECQ.

READ: DOLE: Lowest unemployment rate since pandemic shows PH is bouncing back

“The labor department had anticipated that the improvement in employment reported in March 2021 will not be sustained,” he noted.

Bello, however, is optimistic that the labor market condition could be “improved” as the government began vaccine rollout to eventually immunize 35.5 million people who belong to the A4 category.

“The current labor market condition may be improved by the timely rollout of vaccines for A4 categories of priority groups – the workers,” he said. “We call upon all Filipino workers to get themselves inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines.”

JPV