By Romeo Yu
Agriculture sustained its pivotal role in job creation, accounting for a quarter of available jobs in the country in December, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
PSA data showed that the agri industry accounted for 24.4% of the 50.5 million jobs in the Philippines in the last month of 2023.
This is equivalent to approximately 12.3 million employed individuals, as the sector also contributed 715,000 new jobs for the month.
This job creation within the industry coincided with a record-low unemployment rate of 3.1% in 2023.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. highlighted the potential for further job creation and improved livelihoods in the sector.
He revealed that the Department of Agriculture is finalizing a three-year strategy focused on modernizing agriculture, attracting investments, and enhancing production to ensure food security.
In addressing the aging farmer population, the government plans significant investments in irrigation, machinery, post-harvest facilities, and other inputs to boost production, reduce costs, enhance efficiency, and increase returns for farmers. With the goal of stabilizing food supply and prices while minimizing imports, the government’s initial investments resulted in a record harvest of 20.06 million metric tons of rice last year.
For comparison, the services sector comprised 57.3% of December’s jobs, while industry claimed an 18.3% share.
