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Unemployment statistics shows reason in desperation of Filipinos recruited in Blackwater USA

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2006/06/15 - 12:12pm
The latest quarterly employment statistics released by National Statistics Office (NSO) only affirms the reason for desperation of Filipinos being hired as mercenaries to fight the US wars abroad under the Blackwater USA said the militant labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU).

Unemployment in April reached 8.2 percent from 8.1 percent in January this year. Unemployed Filipinos totaled 2.93 million in April compared with 2.8 million in January and 2.91 million in April 2005.

KMU Secretary General Joel Maglunsod said even the seemingly flat jobless rate did not impress the labor group as boasted jobs created in the agriculture sector were only augmented by the increase in the unpaid family workers and own account workers while the industry sector decreased, "While the government manipulates definitions of unemployment and even wants to include OFWs and unpaid family workers in the international definition of labor force, it will fail to hide the reality of its inutility to address the issue of joblessness."

The increase in employment in agriculture to 427,000 was due to the increase in unpaid family workers by 175,000. The own account workers likewise increased by 139,000 although there was a 13,000 decrease in the industry sector.

"While joblessness is already grim, the underemployed or those who wish to work additional hours even increased from 21.3% in January to 25.4 percent of the total employed," cited Maglunsod. The largest share of underemployed people came from the agriculture sector, where a majority of the workers -- 72.9 percent -- were employed only part time.

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