The 2021 Updating of the List of Establishments (ULE) recorded a total of 9,909 establishments operating in 20 city/municipalities in La Union in 2021 that generated a total employment of 44,041. 

By major industry group, majority (83.39% or 8,263) of the establishments in the province in 2021 were engaged in Services (Sectors G to S), 15.33 percent (1,519 establishments) were engaged in Industry (Sectors B to F), and 1.28 percent (127 establishments) were engaged in Agriculture (Sector A).   

The Services sectors also generated the highest number of employment with 35,809 persons which comprised 81.31 percent of the total employment in the province in 2021 followed by the Industry sectors which employed 7,501 persons or 17.03 percent of the total employment.  The Agriculture sector generated the lowest employment with 127 persons or 1.66 percent of the total employment. 

Conversely, the Agriculture sector recorded the highest average employment with an average of six employees per establishment.  The Industry and Services sectors had five and four average employees per establishment, respectively.

Nearly half (48.32%) of the total number of establishments in  operation in the province in 2021 were engaged in Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles (Industry Section G) with 4,788 establishments that also generated the highest employment of 18,027.

Establishments with total employment of 1 to 9 (Micro) topped the count of establishments with 9,243 or 93.28 percent of the total number of establishments.  Establishments with 10 to 99 (Small), 100 to 199 (Medium), and 200 and over (Large) total employment comprised 6.39 percent (633 establishments), 0.21 percent (21 establishments), and 10.12 percent (12 establishments) of the total number of establishments in the province, respectively.

Moreover, the 2021 ULE captured 2,137 establishments with permanently closed status, majority of these establishments (54.84%) ceased operation within 2020 to 2021.  On the other hand, there were 437 establishments captured with temporarily stopped operation status.  The combined total employment displaced due to permanent closure and temporary stoppage of operation was 8,646.

The PSA conducted a nationwide ULE in 2021 in response to the demand for an updated information on establishment business units during the pandemic.  The 2021 ULE was conducted generally to update the status and characteristics of establishments in the PSA’s List of Establishments (LE) and to provide information on the distribution of establishments and employment across areas and industries.  The LE serves as the source of sampling frame for all establishment-based surveys and censuses conducted by the PSA. 

SGD. DANITES E. TEÑIDO, Ph.D.
Chief Statistical Specialist

/KJGH