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MANILA, Philippines – The Population and Development Commission (Popcom) said Wednesday that “at least half a million new jobs” should be created in 2021 in line with a projected increase in the working-age population.
According to Popcom’s projection for 2021, the working-age population or Filipinos, aged 15-64, is expected to increase by more than a million and reach 71,278,520 next year. The population group represents 64.15 percent of the total population of the country.
According to the CEO of Popcom, Juan Antonio Pérez III, the rebound may mean an “economic profit opportunity”, as it could result in increased income and productivity, especially during the pandemic.
But Pérez said the government needs to provide more sources of income for those about to enter the workforce next year.
“This means that in the country, in the midst of this crisis, we still need to create new jobs for at least half a million based on existing employment rates,” he said.
“[T]There is a need to ensure that members of the workforce are healthy, educated, qualified, and in paid employment. This is what we have to work on to achieve the demographic dividend and reap its economic benefits in the next five years, otherwise they can also potentially become dependent on family income and government services, “he added.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), in October, there are 3.8 million unemployed people in the country. This equates to an unemployment rate of 8.7 percent.
PSA also noted that around 4.5 million Filipinos were out of work this year due to strict lockdown protocols and the closure of many businesses across the country due to COVID-19.
More dependent
Meanwhile, those below the “dependent” population – people who cannot or can no longer work due to their age – will also increase next year. The most significant increase will be among the elderly, who according to Popcom will exceed 10 million “for the first time.”
“Filipinos aged 60 and over will increase in absolute numbers by 2021 by 10,059,686,” the commission said in a statement.
Pérez said that the needs of older adults must be met, considering the possible increase in the cost of health services during the pandemic, since they are more vulnerable to contracting COVID-19.
“We must also focus on the needs of this vulnerable part of the population, as it is also an often neglected sector,” he added.
The population of Filipinos ages 0-14, who are also among the “dependent population,” is also estimated to skyrocket to 475,543 next year.
Popcom reported that the country’s population could rise to 110.8 million in 2021. It added that it may still rise to 111.1 million due to unintended pregnancies and lack of access to reproductive health services amid the pandemic.
Despite this increase, the commission said the population growth rate will decline further by 1.31 percent next year. The growth rate in 2019 was 1.45 percent, down from 1.68 in 2016.
JPV
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