Ben Madilynn
The Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for the Davao Region in April 2024 was found to have slightly decreased to 61.9 percent according to the most recent preliminary employment report by the Philippine Statistics Authority-Davao Region (PSA-Davao).
On Tuesday, June 25, 2024, the PSA-Davao released a report stating that 61.9 percent of the Dabawenyos who are 15 years old and over were in the labor force. This represents an increase over the January 2024 LFPR of 60.7 percent, but a fall from the 63.2 percent reported in April 2023.
The PSA-Davao estimated the total population of the region aged 15 or older at 3.82 million. Approximately 2.36 million of these individuals were working or actively seeking employment in April 2024, slightly less than the 2.38 million recorded in April 2023 but higher than the 2.32 million in January 2024.
Furthermore, PSA-Davao reported that 96.4 percent of the workforce in the Davao Region was employed as of April 2024, translating to 2.28 million employed Dabawenyos, a decrease from 2.30 million in the same month last year.
Meanwhile, the Davao Region’s unemployment rate increased to 3.6 percent in April 2024, up from 3.3 percent in April 2023 and January 2024. This rise in unemployment means there were 85,000 unemployed individuals in April 2024, compared to 78,000 in April 2023 and 76,000 in January 2024.
Additionally, 7.1 percent of employed persons in Davao were underemployed, which meant about 168,000 of the 2.28 million employed Dabawenyos wanted more hours of work in their current position, a new job, or a new career with more hours in April 2024.
In terms of LFPR, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm) had the highest rate among the 17 regions, at 71.2 percent, while the Zamboanga Peninsula had the lowest, at 59.6 percent.
The PSA utilizes the Labor Force Survey (LFS) to collect data on the demographic and socioeconomic aspects of the population. This survey is conducted quarterly and monthly through interviews with households. BP
