The Labor Force Survey (LFS) is a nationwide survey conducted quarterly by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). For this particular release, the data being presented are based on the final results of the July 2017 LFS round in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in NCR decreases in July 2017                               

For the entire country, the LFPR registered at 60.6 percent in July 2017 from 63.2 percent during the same period of the previous year. In NCR, the LFPR decreased to 60.5 percent in July 2017 from 62.8 percent during the same period in 2016.

Comparative labor force counts and LFPR for the Philippines and NCR for July 2016 and 2017 LFS rounds are shown below.

Employment Rate in NCR registers at 92.1 percent

The employment rate of the country in July 2017 reached 94.4 percent, lower by 0.2 percentage points from the same period of the previous year. In NCR, the employment rate was recorded at 92.1 percent in July 2017, or 1.4 percentage points decrease from July 2016.

Comparative employment figures and employment rates for the July 2016 and July 2017 LFS results are shown below.

The trend of employment rate in the country and NCR for the July 2016 to July 2017 LFS rounds are shown the figure below.

More than half of the employed persons in NCR are males

In the July 2017 LFS round, the country’s male population dominated the employed workforce. Of the 42.5 million employed persons, there were 62.5 percent employed males compared to 37.5 percent employed females. Meanwhile, of the 5.1 million employed persons in NCR, 58.0 percent were males. Refer to Table 1 for details of household population 15 years old and over by employment status and sex for the Philippines and NCR for the period July 2017.

Three in every four employed persons are in services sector in NCR

Of the 5.1 million employed persons in NCR in July 2017, about three out of four or 77.6 percent were employed in the services sector while 21.7 percent were employed in the industry sector. The remaining proportions were employed in the agriculture sector. Similar trends were observed in the July 2017 LFS round. Refer to Table 2 for details of the employed persons and major industry group in NCR for the period July 2016 and 2017.

Service and sales workers comprise the largest group of employment in NCR

In the July 2017 LFS round, service and sales workers comprised the largest group of employment in NCR at 20.2 percent. Elementary Occupations formed the second largest group at 18.0 percent, while Managers made up the third largest group at 16.3 percent. Refer to Table 3 for details of employed persons by sex and by major occupation group in NCR for July 2017.

NCR Unemployment Rate rises to 7.9 percent in July 2017

The unemployment rate in the country increased to 5.6 percent in the July 2017 LFS round from the 5.4 percent of the same period of the previous year.

Similarly, NCR’s unemployment rate increased to 7.9 percent from 6.5 percent for the same period of the previous year. Unemployment figures of the Philippines and NCR, which were based from the final estimates of the July 2016 and July 2017 LFS rounds, are shown below.

Underemployment rate in NCR decreases in July 2017

In the July 2017 LFS round, underemployment rate in NCR decreased to 7.4 percent from 9.1 percent in July 2016. This represents a drop of 1.7 percentage points. Comparative underemployment figures and underemployment rates for the July 2016 and July 2017 LFS results are shown below.

In NCR, more than three-fifths (64.6%) of the 0.4 million underemployed persons in July 2017 were males. Similar trend was noted in the sex distribution for underemployment both in the national level and NCR for the July 2016 and 2017 LFS rounds. Refer to Table 4 for details of underemployed persons by sex in Philippines and NCR for July 2016 and 2017.

(Sgd) PACIANO B. DIZON

Regional Director