The preliminary results of the January 2020 Labor Force Survey (LFS) posted an employment rate of 91.2 percent in Ilocos Region. This translates to about 2,023 thousand employed persons in the region. The employment rate of the region is lower by 3.7 percentage points compared with the employment rate recorded in January 2019 at 94.9 percent.

Meanwhile, the employment rate of the country was recorded at 94.7 percent both in January 2019 and January 2020. The January 2020 figure was higher by 3.5 percentage points compared with the employment rate of the region in the same period.

In terms of Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of Ilocos Region, it increased by 2.2 percentage points from 61.2 percent in January 2019 to 63.4 percent in January 2020. The country’s LFPR at 61.7 percent is lower by 1.7 percentage points compared with the LFPR of the region in January 2020.

The underemployment rate of the region increased by 1 percentage point from 15.1 percent in January 2019 to 16.1 percent in January 2020. On the contrary, the underemployment rate of the country decreased by 0.6 percentage point from 15.4 percent in January 2019 to 14.8 percent in January 2020.

 Employment Indicators, Philippines and Ilocos Region: January 2020 and January 2019

Source: PSA, January 2019 and January 2020 Labor Force Survey

Among the 17 regions, Ilocos Region posted the lowest employment rate in January 2020. On the other end, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) recorded the highest employment rate at 97.2 percent in the same period.

Employment Rate in the Philippines by Region: January 2020

Source: PSA, January 2019 and January 2020 LFS

Note: As to the latest release of the results of the January 2020 LFS, there are no disaggregation yet by demographic and economic indicators at the regional level.