Unemployment will continue to rise

The Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) sees no stop to increasing unemployment and warns of further deterioration of life for the ordinary Filipino.

This was KMU’s reaction to the rise in the number of unemployed to 8.1% in January 2006 compared to 7.4% in the same month last year. According to Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog, national chairperson of the KMU, “Unemployment will further increase come April this year due to the fact that 450,000 new graduates will add to the growing labor force.”

The increase happened despite glossy pronouncements from Department of Labor and Employment secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas that call centers are the new sunshine industry. “Even if 100,000 empty call center seats are needed to be filled, since 1.2 million add to the labor force yearly, in the final analysis, it will not simply suffice,” Labog added.

“The government changed the definition of the unemployed to obfuscate the real picture but still unemployment increased. Before they changed the definition, the rate of unemployment was 11.4% but since they implemented the new definition, it went down to 7.7% in December 2005. But despite this numbers magic, they cannot hide the fact that workers cannot find work in this country,” said Labog.

Labog furthered pointed out that the rise in the number of people without work will exacerbate the growing army of the poorest of the poor. “Unemployment increased, couple this with price increase due to Revised Value Added Tax (RVAT) and this will definitely widen the current number of 18% of Filipinos belonging to the poorest of the poor.

Labog wasn’t surprised with the results of the latest survey of Pulse-Asia showing trust ratings of Mrs. Arroyo dipping further from negative 21 before the Presidential Proclamation 1017 to negative 30 after the proclamation. “The Filipino people abhor dictatorship, which deeply scarred Philippine society and anyone dabbling with it shall be reviled like Hitler and Marcos,” opined Labog.

“High unemployment coupled with high prices of basic goods and massive hunger mixed with suppression of freedom is definitely an explosive concoction set to hasten the Arroyo regimes downfall.