The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) – La Union Provincial Statistical Office conducts the monthly Labor Force Survey (LFS) March 2023 round on 08 to 31 March 2023 in enumeration areas located in five city/municipalities in La Union.

For this round of the LFS, PSA-La Union hired two Statistical Researchers (SRs) to interview 96 sample households through the Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) approach using tablets. Sample households are encouraged to participate in this survey by providing complete and truthful data.

Meanwhile, the PSA released on March 9, 2023 the results from the January 2023 LFS.  Some of the highlights of the January 2023 LFS report in the country are as follows:

1. Unemployment rate in January 2023 was estimated at 4.8 percent, translating to 2.37 million unemployed Filipinos. This estimated rate is lower than the unemployment rate reported in the same month in 2022 at 6.4 percent. 

2. The country’s employment rate was registered at 95.2 percent in January 2023, an increase from the 93.6 percent in January 2022. In terms of magnitude, employed persons increased by 4.09 million in January 2023 estimated at 47.35 million from 43.27 million in January 2022. The number of employed persons in January 2023 was also higher than the reported 47.11 million employed persons in October 2022.

3. The labor force participation rate (LFPR) increased to 64.5 percent in January 2023, equivalent to 49.72 million Filipinos in the labor force. The reported LFPR in January 2023 was higher than the reported LFPR in January 2022 and in October 2022 at 60.5 percent and 64.2 percent, respectively.

4. The number of underemployed persons or the employed persons who expressed the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have additional job, or to have a new job with longer hours of work was registered at 6.65 million, translating to an underemployment rate of 14.1 percent in January 2023. This was lower than the reported rate in January 2022 (14.9%) and in October 2022 (14.2%).

The LFS is a nationwide survey of households conducted by the PSA to gather data on the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population. It provides information as a basis for the formulation of policies and programs to create and generate gainful employment and livelihood opportunities, reduce unemployment and underemployment, and enhance the welfare of a working person.

Recognizing the importance of high-frequency statistical information on the Philippine labor market during a health crisis, the PSA Board approved the PSA Board Resolution No. 8 Series of 2020, Approval of the Conduct of the Monthly LFS and Generation of Monthly Labor and Employment Statistics on 21 December 2020.  Starting in February 2021, the monthly LFS was conducted between quarterly or regular LFS to generate national-level labor and employment statistics from the survey.

Pursuant to Section 19 of Republic Act (RA) No. 10173, known as the “Data Privacy Act,” all information gathered in this survey will be treated with utmost confidentiality. Section 26 of RA No. 10625 also stipulates that “individual data furnished by a respondent to statistical inquiries, surveys, and censuses conducted by the PSA shall be considered privilege communication and as such shall be inadmissible as evidence in any proceeding.”

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

/MAQ