Youth group slams ‘sky high’ unemployment facing fresh grads

A militant youth group has blasted what it considers “sky high” unemployment and underemployment problems that fresh college graduates will face this month.

In a statement, Anakbayan national chair Vencer Crisostomo on Tuesday said that despite recent pronouncements made by President Benigno Aquino III on the country’s growing economy, college graduates would be subjected to the “labor export policy” allegedly being implemented by the current administration.

“(President Benigno) Aquino knows that the problem of unemployment and underemployment is still sky high under his administration, but does nothing to solve the problem. Because of widespread unemployment and underemployment, most of our newly graduated kababayans are being forced out of our country in order to find a job,” Crisostomo said.

Members of the youth group in various parts of the country staged a mock graduation protest to express their condemnation on rising unemployment and underemployment in the country.

The militant youth group also slammed the implementation of the government’s K-to-12 program, claiming that it would produce “cheap exportable labor” in the country.

“Aquino’s K-(to)-12 program is a catalyst of further exploitation; this program would only produce more cheap exportable labor. The parents and students are forced to lift the burden of additional school years, while foreign countries enjoy the perks of having a pool of cheap labor,” he said.

According to the results of the January 2015 Labor Force Survey of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), youth unemployment has decreased: From 1.432 million unemployed persons aged 15 to 24 in January 2014, it became 1.246 million in 2015.

DOLE also said that almost half of the country’s unemployed belonged to the youth sector. RC