MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 15, 2013) – The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines on Monday said the number of Filipinos aspiring to have extra jobs to augment their income and make both ends meet have reached almost 9 million and it attributed this to job mismatch and low salary.
“Aside from mismatch, it is highly possible that because of low salary—notably, the daily take home pay—the underemployment rate grows at a very alarming pace. It’s puzzling trade unionists and causing discomfort to some concerned government officials,” Gerard Seno, TUCP Secretary General, said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
He said more and more people are looking to have an additional job or to work for longer hours to augment their income. “Totoo na dumarami ang mga manggagawa na nagsa sideline or rumaraket so to speak, to have extra income for their families to survive,” he said.
Seno, citing a recent TUCP study, said in Metro Manila, although the minimum daily pay is P456, the real daily take home minimum pay is only P306 pesos after factoring inflation of basic commodities and after mandatory deductions of taxes, Philhealth, Pag-ibig, and SSS.
The National Statistics Office record also showed that there are 7.934 million underemployed in January 2013, up by 916,000 since January 2012 (7.018 million) and 7.050 million in 2011.
The all-time high underemployment rate in six years was recorded in July 2012 with 8.55 million with more than 80% of them in the agriculture and services sector like security guards, tellers, clerks, waiters, mechanics, technicians, salesaldies, and service crews.
The TUCP has recently filed an P85 wage increase petition for Metro Manila before the wage board and also an P80 wage increase in Davao regional wage board. If approved, Davao workers will receive a minimum nominal pay of P381. Currently, the P301 minimum pay in Davao region has a buying capacity of only P216.24 and after mandatory deductions, the real take home pay would only be around P191.75.
In the light of the issue, the Labor department has introduced the Community Entrepreneural Development Training and the Integrated Livelihood Program to encourage workers to engage in livelihood like selling home-made food and items to augment family income.
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