EDITORIAL

1 of 5 Pinoy workers not earning enough for basic needs – survey

One of five Filipino workers does not earn enough to meet the basic needs of family, research group IBON Foundation said in its April 2008 Labor Force survey. IBON said the survey showed that a large percentage of employed Filipinos are not earning sufficiently for their basic needs and thus, seek additional jobs. “LFS data indicated that 6.6 million workers have expressed their desire for additional work simply because they were not earning enough for their basic needs,” IBON pointed out.

According to IBON, the country’s underemployment rate grew by 200,000 to 6.6 million workers in April from 6.4 million during the same period a year ago. “More significantly, the growth was in those considered ‘invisibly’ underemployed, or those who already worked 40 hours or more a week,” IBON further noted. “This means that many wage and salary workers employed in the formal sector do not earn enough for their needs.

These figures could even be understated, since only those surveyed who reported that they were seeking more work were classified as underemployed,” IBON noted. The research group added that the current situation is not expected to change significantly despite the latest round of salary increases granted by the different wage boards for minimum wage earners.

“The government survey reflects the country’s employment situation where unemployment is at an all-time high and jobs are low-paying and low in quality that workers continue to seek more work,” IBON said. According to the survey, unemployment and underemployment problems in the country are the greatest challenge for the Arroyo administration at this time of rising food, rice and oil prices.

Last year, the Department of Labor and Employment also reported that about eight million Filipinos are considered “overemployed” or working excessively long hours just to earn more. Data from the DOLE-Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) showed that five of every 20 employed Filipinos rendered more than 48 hours of work a week and the number of these so-called “overemployed” is fast growing. This, while corruption is at an all time high in government. If administration officials really want to make this country move forward, they should start from themselves by living clean lives and with honesty and sincerity, formulate programs for the good of all.