MANILA - Some 2.76 million Filipinos were jobless in April as the unemployment rate eased to 5.7 percent for the month, the Philippine Statistics Bureau said Friday.

The total is lower than the 8.7 percent unemployment rate in April 2021 equivalent to 4.14 million jobless Filipinos, based on the PSA's Labor Force Survey.

April 2022's unemployment rate is also an improvement compared to the 6.4 percent rate in January, equivalent to 2.93 million, and the 5.8 percent rate in March which translates to 2.87 million people with no jobs.

Unemployment eased to 5.7 percent in April @ABSCBNNews https://t.co/OB4QPu8nqA pic.twitter.com/JafxNPAqly

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• Unemployment eases to 5.8 pct in March with 2.87 million Filipinos jobless

The employment rate for the month hit 94.3 percent equivalent to 45.63 million which is higher than the 91.3 percent of 43.27 million in April 2021 and the 93.6 percent or 43.02 million in January, the PSA said.

In March, the employment rate was at 94.2 percent or 46.98 million, data showed.

The higher number of people with jobs can be attributed to the increase in workers during the harvest season as well as the rise in the retail and trade, food outlets and door-to-door retailers for the period, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said.

The underemployment rate, or the number of people seeking more jobs or job hours, was at 14 percent for the month, equivalent to 6.40 million, lower than the 17.2 percent or 7.45 million in April 2021, data showed.

Mapa said the main sources of underemployment were the agriculture and forestry sectors.

Unemployment in the Philippines ballooned during the COVID-19 pandemic but the tally has since recovered.

However, several firms have flagged the increasing number of low-quality jobs brought about by the pandemic.

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