Philippines / Unemployment rate remain high despite strong economic growth

Despite strong economic growth, the unemployment rate in the Philippines remains the highest in Southeast Asia.

The government admits it has not been able to meet its target of creating one million jobs a year, and now hopes to create employment by drawing in more investments.

Vivian Atienza, a 40-year-old single mother, will soon leave the Philippines to work as a domestic worker in Kuwait.

She said that if she had a choice, she would rather stay and find work in the Philippines, instead of leaving her seven-year-old son behind.

But after being jobless for six months, she decided to try her luck abroad.

She said: “I can’t find any job here. I can only work as a household help because I did not finish schooling. Aside from that, domestic workers here can only earn US$60 but in Kuwait, I can earn as much as US$200.

“That is why even if it is hard, I need to go abroad to be able to feed my son and send him to school. I don’t want to leave him but I can’t find any job here.”

Despite the country’s high economic growth, more and more Filipinos are still finding it hard to find local jobs. That is why thousands of Filipinos can be seen lining up at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to apply for jobs abroad.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor

via High unemployment rate in Philippines despite strong economic growth – Channel NewsAsia.