UP Ibalon Bicol: Department of Labor

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US unemployment rate rises further to 10.2% in October

11/06/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

According to the Labor Department that new jobless claims fell to 512,000 last week, the lowest level in 10 months. This was the kind of news we all wanted--- to complement a rosy outlook that the manufacturing sector was on a rebound to usher in the recovery from recession. Yet, signs of recovery was not buoyed by the joblessness report from last month:

“U.S. employers cut a deeper-than-expected 190,000 jobs in October, government data showed on Friday, driving the unemployment rate to 10.2 percent, the highest in 26-1/2 years… Payrolls have declined for 22 consecutive months now, throwing 7.3 million people out of work since December 2007, when the recession started.”--- Reuters (11/06/09)

This new unemployment figure is the highest since 1983. The dismal figure, worse than most economists predicted, comes earlier than expected and it suggests improvement in the economy will not come fast. (Photo Credit: Debtfree.Daniloff) =0=

RELATED BLOG: "Credibility: a big factor in economic recovery" Posted by mesiamd at 11/04/2009

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Labels: Department of Labor, economy, joblessness, labor, recession, recovery, Totie Mesia, unemployment, US

Waste of manpower and labor

8/15/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) of the Philippines reported that each year about 200,000 examinees for licensure in different professions fail to pass the exam rendering them less capable to work and assume jobs in their field of training.
Based on PRC data, a total of 304,586 examinees took licensure exams in different fields. Of the figure, only 36.9 percent or 112,407 passed.

Examinees in the customs brokers test posted the lowest passing rate at 22.9 percent, followed by librarians at 23.6 percent. The highest rate of passers are those who take the geology, pharmacy, optometry guidance counselor, mining and geologic engineering tests whose passing rates range from 60 to 70%. The last nursing board posted a rate of 42%, lower than the previous year.---Philstar (08/15/09, Jaymalin, M.)

The high rate of flunkers in the board exams is a reflection of the quality of education these students are getting. Failing the test makes them less able to land a job and lead unproductive lives. There is an urgent need to make jobs available for these flunkers. It’s the duty of the Department of Education and the government to correct this waste of manpower and labor. (Photo Credit: scion_cho) =0=

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Labels: board exam, Department of Labor, employment, jobs, labor, licensure, manpower, Philippine Regulation Commission (PRC), PRC, Professional Regulations Commission, Totie Mesia

US jobless rate up to 9.4%

6/06/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

In whatever prism one looks, the US jobless rate in May went up to 9.4% from 8.4% in April, the highest in more than 25 years. Some consolation comes from a slower lay-off rate that economists look with optimism. Employers cut off “only” 350,000 jobs in the same time period. This is a cause of joy for optimistic financial analysts who feel relieved that the lay-off rate is lesser than in the previous months.

“Construction companies cut 59,000 jobs, down from 108,000 in April. Factories cut 156,000, on top of 154,000 in the previous month. Retailers cut 17,500 positions, compared with 36,500 in April. Financial activities cut 30,000, down from 45,000 in April. Even the government reduced employment — by 7,000 — after bulking up by 92,000 in April as it added workers for the 2010 Census.”---AP (06/04/09, Aversa, J.)

Perhaps to boost a brighter outlook and lessen alarm that the economy is still sliding down the cliff, the Department of Labor thinks the new data are signs that the recession is abating. In spite of the spike in joblessness, the highest since 1983, many insist Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package is working and the economy is improving.

Critics aren’t happy though. Healthcare alone is costing taxpayers $450 billion for Medicare and $200 billion for Medicaid yearly. The government may require $1.3 trillion to cover medical coverage for the 47 million uninsured Americans in a decade once the universal health care is pushed.

This surely isn’t a consolation if one is left without work, underemployed, holds a temporary job or has given up looking for employment at this difficult economic time. (Photo Credit: AskOne)=0=

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Labels: Department of Labor, economy, employment, joblessness, jobs, Medicaid, Medicare, national economic planners, Totie Mesia, unemployment, USA

Sen. Francis Escudero says the Arroyo government must face joblessness squarely

5/14/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

In what Sen. Francis Escudero thinks as a defensive stance of the government, officials of the Arroyo administration wants to have their own survey, casting doubts on what the Social Weather Stations (SWS) data says about joblessness. A few days ago, the SWS disclosed that 34.2% or 14 million adult Filipinos are jobless. This huge number of idle people account for about 15% of the total population.

It’s truly alarming to know that one third of Filipino adults is jobless. But as Escudero said the Arroyo government must face the problem honestly “instead of using as an excuse the semantics of the definition of unemployment" as reported by the SWS.

Unemployment, by any other name, is still joblessness, and it speaks loudly of the failure of government to put up adequate policies to address to the problem. The reality is that there is widespread and increasing unemployment," ---Malaya (05/13/09, Naval, G; Benga, R)

Labor Sec. Marianito Roque is mulling on another survey---- the Labor Force Survey (LFS) by the National Statstics Office (NSO) hoping that the joblessness rate will come out lower than the SWS report. But in practrical terms, there is little to gain from thinking that unemployment must be lower than what the SWS data show. What is important is government's response to the problem that the entire nation already knows.

The belief that widespread adult joblessness must be demonstrated by huge numbers of idle people in the street is probably erroneous. Perhaps, the better indicator is the number of emaciated children-beggars who ran around while their jobless parents stay at home. (Photo Credit: Edgar J. Ediza) =0=

RELATED BLOG: "14 million Filipino adults are jobless, but the Arroyo administration thinks it’s just a “perception”" Posted by mesiamd at 5/12/2009

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Labels: Department of Labor, joblessness, Sen. Francis Escudero, Social Weather Stations (SWS), SWS, Totie Mesia, unemployment

UP Ibalon Bicol

US unemployment rate rises further to 10.2% in October

Waste of manpower and labor

US jobless rate up to 9.4%

Sen. Francis Escudero says the Arroyo government must face joblessness squarely

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