Showing posts with label joblessness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label joblessness. Show all posts
152 RP nursing colleges warned of closure
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairman Emmanuel Angeles announced that 152 nursing colleges are in danger of being closed if the passing rate of their graduates do not improve. In the last five years, these schools posted lower passing scores than the national passing rate of 46.16% in the board exam. Next year, they will still be given a chance before facing the propect of being phased out in the business.
Nursing colleges with less than 5% passing rate of their graduates in three consecutive years will not be permitted to operate.
The most number of nursing colleges with poor performance are concentrated in MetroManila. Included n the list are: Arellano University-Manila, Arellano University-Pasay, De Los Santos-STI College, De Ocampo Memorial College, Dominican College, Dr. Carlos S. Lanting College, Emilio Aguinaldo College, J.P. Sioson General Hospital and Colleges, La Consolacion College Manila, Las Piñas College, Martinez Memorial College, Mary Chiles College, Olivarez College, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay, Perpetual Help College of Manila, Philippine College of Health Sciences, Philippine Rehabilitation Institute Foundation, Southeast Asian College, St. Jude College, St. Rita Hospital College of Nursing and School of Midwifery, STI College-Recto, the Family Clinic, Unciano Colleges and General Hospital, University of Perpetual Help-Rizal, and World Citi Colleges, Quezon City. Other erring schools are in Calabarzon, 23 schools; Central Luzon, 20; Ilocos Region, 16; Bicol, 14; SOCCSKSARGEN, 8; Northern Mindanao, 7; Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Region and Cordillera Administrative Region, 6; Cagayan Valley and Central Visayas, 5; CARAGA Region, 3; and Eastern Visayas and Mimaropa Region, 1.--- Philstar (11/25/09, Ronda, R.A.)
The mushrooming of substandard nursing schools predictably produced half-baked graduates who have difficulty passing the board of examination. These colleges should not have been allowed to operate. Under the noses of education and labor regulators, schools nonetheless graduated so many nurses. The wastage of time, money, and effort was ignored until the despicable consequences were obvious.
Because of neglectful education planning and labor allocation, almost a hundred thousand licensure candidates are to take the next board exam at the end of November. A despicable scandal of the profession, many of them have dismal chances of landing a job locally or abroad.(Photo Credit: nursingpins.com) =0=
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Dr. Doom thinks the worse is yet to come
In an article written for the Daily News, Nouriel Roubini, better known as Dr. Doom predicted that unemployment would be worse next year. From the official jobless rate of 10.2% the NYU economics professor who foresaw the economic meltdown spoke grimly of greater loss of work ---probably now hovering at 17.5% if those who stopped looking for jobs or remained underemployed were included.
“The long-term picture for workers and families is even worse than current job loss numbers alone would suggest. Now as a way of sharing the pain, many firms are telling their workers to cut hours, take furloughs and accept lower wages. Specifically, that fall in hours worked is equivalent to another 3 million full time jobs lost on top of the 7.5 million jobs formally lost.
This is very bad news but we must face facts. Many of the lost jobs are gone forever, including construction jobs, finance jobs and manufacturing jobs. Recent studies suggest that a quarter of U.S. jobs are fully out-sourceable over time to other countries.”----Daily News (11/15/09, Roubini, N.)
Roubini suggested that in the coming year the unemployment rate will hover high at about 11%, but it will be far worse in the following two years. Because of a weak labor market, he says the economic growth and recovery will be slow.
The budget deficits will rise accompanied by slowing in the real estate market. Delinquencies on mortgage payments, larger budget deficits and a fall of real estate prices are expected. If these scenarios occur, banks and lending institutions will bear much of the pain.
Roubini’s prescription is for the government to embark on another stimulus---creation of jobs by investing on infrastructure. Giving away unemployment checks is not enough. Those without work must find a way to have one and be productive.
Judging from the falling popularity of Obama, there is doubt if the US president can steer the country to better economic times. As he rounds up his visit to Beijing, China, Obama speaks of a double-dip recession if debt and spending are not controlled. =0=
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US unemployment rate rises further to 10.2% in October
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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Joblessness worse than US government projections
With overall joblessness rate nearing 10%, Americans are getting a shock of their life to find the big disparity between what the Obama administration projected and the current joblessness all over the country.
Seven months after so much rosy promises by government leaders, the state of economy still looks bleak for those who don’t have work or stopped looking for one . A staggering forty nine (49) out of fifty (50) states lost jobs the last 7 months---a far different picture than the Obama government promised.
A sampler can be seen in the table below:
State--------------Estimated Change in Jobs-------------Actual Job Change
--------------------(thru Dec 2010)---------------------thru September 2009)
Alabama----------- + 52,000----------------------------- - 33,600
Alaska-------------+ 8,000------------------------------ - 2,800
California-------- + 396,000---------------------------- - 336,400
Florida----------- + 206,000---------------------------- - 165,100
Georgia----------- + 106,000---------------------------- - 131,900
Hawaii------------ + 15,000----------------------------- - 17,000
Illinois------------ + 148,000---------------------------- - 148,900
Kentucky---------- + 48,000----------------------------- - 42,300
Michigan---------- + 109,000---------------------------- - 137,300
New Jersey-------- + 100,000---------------------------- - 55,600
New York---------- + 215,000---------------------------- - 111,800
North Dakota------ + 8,000------------------------------ + 1,800
Ohio--------------- + 133,000---------------------------- - 97,500
Oregon------------ + 44,000----------------------------- - 40,000
Pennsylvania------ + 143,000---------------------------- - 103,200
Rhode Island------ + 12,000----------------------------- - 8,500
Texas------------- + 269,000---------------------------- - 225,300
Virginia----------- + 93,000----------------------------- - 47,000
Wyoming----------- + 8,000------------------------------ - 10,500
Total
for 50 States---- + 3,460,000-------------------------- - 2,708,600
According to the data, 49 States and the District of Columbia continued to lose employment for Americans since stimulus was enacted by the Obama administration. Of the 50 states, only North Dakota registered a net positive job addition following the February 2009 stimulus.
President Obama announced his stimulus bill would create 3.5 million jobs, but the the United States has already lost a total of 2.7 million – a difference of 6.2 million jobs. With corrupted and greed-driven financial institution in America, further rise in unemployment indicated that one couldn't recklessly spend taxpayerrs' money in order to show a semblance of prosperity.
Even if Americans still wish the president would succeed (given 3 years more ahead to exhaust his tenure of office,) the joblessness data had brought an ugly picture of the recovery--- raising distrust and disappointment on where the government is heading. This is on top of the wide opposition of government over-spending, sluggish war and anti-terror campaigns, ballooning budget deficit, increasing interference of government on privae enterprise, high taxes, and unsatisfactory healthcare revamp that endangers the medica care system that 85% of Americans are happy keeping.
Source of Joblessness Data: Committee on Ways and Means Republicans (Photo Credit: Ben Heine) =0=
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US unemployment expected to surge close to 10%
Since the stimulus measures that bailed out financial institutions, banks, housing and the auto industry, the ordinary American on the street continues to suffer. The latest unemployment number shows that 3 million jobs were lost since the bailouts raising anew the doubts that pester the Obama administration.
“The Labor Department is scheduled to release unemployment figures for September on Friday. Wall Street economists expect the rate to rise slightly to 9.8 percent, from 9.7 percent in August. Employers are forecast to have cut 180,000 jobs, which would be the fewest since August 2008.“ Myway (10/02/09, Rugaber, C.S.; Crutsinger, M.)
In spite of Barack Obama’s assurances and many economist's rosy predictions, the economy is not improving to come out quick from recession. The dismal job data indicates that employers are not enthusiastic to make new hires. Factories and businesses are finding it hard to make a rebound from a down economy. (Photo Credit: Ben Heine) =0=
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US budget deficit jumps to 1.3 trillion
The biggest economy of the world is getting poor. For this year, in July, official records showed a sharp climb in America’s budget deficit that clouds trust in Pres. Barack Obama’s ambitious plan to re-structure the United States.
Anger and opposition are brewing as the Americans wake up to the reality that their country is drastically being changed to a direction that they can’t comprehend. The public is bracing for a more intrusive government which seeks to regulate the lives of its citizens.
In spite of Obama’s campaign promises that taxes will not go up, that the health care reform will be an improvement of the current system, and that the bail-outs of banks, financial institutions and the housing industry will save the economy, many Americans are convinced the United States can’t buy its way to prosperity. They are averse to excessive trillions of dollars of spending by the government.
“The deficit for the first 10 months of fiscal year 2009, which began October 1, reached 1.3 trillion dollars, close to 880 billion dollars greater than the deficit recorded through July 2008, said the US Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
Outlays rose by almost 530 billion dollars, or 21 percent, and revenues fell by more than 350 billion dollars, or 17 percent, compared with the amounts recorded during the same period last year, the non-partisan CBO said.” AFP (08/07/09)
The amounts above are too large to be understood by the ordinary Americans, but many are suspecting something ominiously wrong is going in the management of the country. It is unwise to incur big debts and massive spending at the expense of the taxpayers and ask the children of the next generation to pay for them.
The number of unemployed workers has declined for the first time in 15 months, but joblessness at still high at 9.4%; it is expected to breach 10% by yearend. There are pockets of improvement of the housing market, but housing prices are still falling and foreclosures are rampant.
In spite of the on-going financial crisis, government leaders of Capitol Hill and their supporters spend lavishly with little accountability. Barack Obama’s assurance that things are better under his watch and the recession is ending does not match with what the people are experiencing: Insecurity.
In spite of the rosy outlook the administration is saying, more money is needed to push the economy. There are talks of another stimulus package. There is pressure to borrow and collect more taxes from the people. Entitlements and welfare claims have risen---about 34 million Americans receive food stamps and many more are dependent on social security and unemployment subsidies.
A dangerous mix of a faltering economy, excessive government spending, a declining honesty in society, and a citizenry not used to a life of frugality has become a problem. In spite of America’s apparent strengths, there are obvious weaknesses that can undermine the nation’s future stability. (Photo Credit: Rich Seattle) =0=
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GMA lauds her government for “strong” economy in SONA, but critics disagree
In spite of high joblessness that hovers to 27.9% and a hunger index of 23.7 percent of household (2008 SWS Survey,) the rising pressure for Filipinos to seek jobs abroad, and a poor rating in governance, Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo (GMA) told her people that the country enjoys a strong economy under her leadership.
The president's State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered last Monday, July 27, 2009 left the public thinking if what they heard was what they had been living. There had surely been gains in her leadership, but the stark economic hardship of Filipinos remained. GMA blamed her critics for the lack of appreciation to her accomplishments.
Praising the president in her last SONA was Speaker Prospero Nograles who according to the Daily Tribune, said, “The President’s Sona is tough in refuting her critics but it is also solidly based on real and factual achievements. Her Sona is undeniable proof that of all the Presidents that have come and gone, her administration is probably the most accomplished in the actual delivery of all her commitments in each of her Sona in the past nine years."
Nograles’ opinion was quickly junked by former Pres. Joseph Estrada saying, "Are we better off today than in 2001? In terms of moral recovery, we are now number 1 most corrupt in the world. In terms of economics, our foreign debt stands at P4 trillion, our farm output is half of what it was in 2000. We are now the biggest importer instead of exporter of rice" and "in terms of peace and order, there has been zero progress under Arroyo," he said, stressing that her achievements are in making the Philippines the most corrupt country; the second most dangerous country for journalists; a shabu exporter and the top importer of rice.---Source: Daily Tribune, (07/28,2009, Baldo, G.; Manalo, C.)
Theere is a widely disparate assessment by Arroyo and those who don't agree with her. It appears someone is lying again when a rosy picture of the country is put forth, while at the same time, others experience the opposite in their life. What is certain is the public can’t escape truth. Improvement of economic life, advancement, and prosperity remain unreachable to many Filipinos.
Manila Archibishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales warned the president to tell the truth. If only the “good news” GMA brought to the people was as truthful as the pompous dress she wore---like those of the lady senators' attires, perhaps, many would believe what they heard in the SONA was credible. (Photo Credit: Sunnexfor2; TCO3) =0=
RELATED BLOG: GMA told to tell the truth in SONA Posted by mesiamd at 7/27/2009
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US economic recovery & the uncertainties Americans face ahead
In spite of Pres. Barack Obama’s eloquent words, the US economy is still on the edge. The ambitious social engineering of the Democratic party has started to fray---- ahead of the economic recovery that it promised. The president who built high expectations since his election campaign is losing his approval and credibility at a fast rate.
Healthcare Dilemma
The country is spooked by the healthcare overhaul plan which will likely be rationed, endangers the independence of doctors to decide for their patients, and may lead to treatment delays and astronomical costs which can rob the future of generations.
Though most Americans agree that a change in healthcare is needed, Obama’s plan to pattern the delivery of American system of healthcare to Canada and Europe is met with growing opposition. His universal healthcare plan threatens the structure that makes medicine in USA the best in the world.
American medicine brings leaders of foreign countries to come to the US for treatment. With all its faults, it is the pre-eminent leader in innovation and the advance of medical science. Though expensive, the fast delivery of medical services for difficult health problems makes it outstanding.
Yet, cutting costs will bring undesired consequences. These, the Americans are grappling to understand. They don't know how much it will cost them in insurance premiums and what medical services will they get in return. They are seriously thinking how much of their income must realistically be alloted to medical care.
Even the Obama government shows poor grasp on the details of the change the "experts" are pushing, making the public doubt whether the rush to tinker with the current system will make their life better. It seems Obama wants the health plan to be voted upon soon while the public hasn't absorbed its hidden ramifications. In a speech, he mumbles of the same generic old tunes that don't clarify the uncertainties of his plan. To President Obama's and California legislator Nancy Pelosi's disappointment, the senate recently stalled the health reform bill for September after the August recess.
For one, they even haven’t tackled how to prevent billions that are lost in Medicare and Medicaid fraud. Many lawmakers who bat for more government intrusions in private life haven't read the legislation or discussed the health proposal. It's just like when Capitol Hill voted the $700 billion plus economic stimulus in haste and the public is left guessing. They don't know where the huge public money is going. Without giving evidence, the financial decision-makers say they "averted" the total collapse of the US economy while at the same time, they warn for another stimulus package if the initial strategy doesn't work.
The administration wants to tax the people so that it can subsidize the insurance of at least 10 million illegal aliens, part of the 47 million people who are uninsured. At the expense of the elderly who may be denied of certain diagnostic tests and medical treatment, the government wants to give medical coverage to those who ignored the law and gate-crashed into America.
Obama plans to control the approval and denial of services, putting the lives of the old, disabled, and those with chronic and rare disease in limbo. It is likely, the sick who are young with high chance for full recovery and are able to go back to work will be given priority over those who are old, recurrently sick, and those without hope of improvement. As a result of the expected decline of health service, according to political analyst Dick Morris, author of a new book "Catastrophe," this health plan will displace the elderly with poorer care, it may lower the life expectancy of the Americans in the next decade as well.
Joblessness still on the Rise
In the meantime, in spite of the outrageous spending that puts USA at the edge of bankruptcy, under Obama’s watch, the joblessness in the heartland doesn’t abate. The budget deficit continues to rise, prompting America to finance its runaway spending from debts abroad. If Obama’s plan fails, there will be many apologies, but almost no accountability---just the way it happened when bankruptcies occured in the housing sector, financial services, banking, and auto industries.
Newly laid-off workers seeking jobless benefits increased last week, consistent to the forecast by the Federal Reserve that unemployment will rise beyond 10%. Bolstering this prediction, the Labor Department announced that the initial claims for unemployment insurance went up by 30,000 this week, raising the number of idle workers to 554,000.
With these, the sword of Democles hovers precariously over the heads of US citizens, not used to having no control over their lives. Unlike before, Obama can blame his predecessors as the cause of the economic mess, but as time passes, it is looking more like his own. The free fall of his popularity may be one to tell. Those who slobber and blindly support him is likely to find disappointment. (Photo Credit: iQoncept) =0=
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Economy is worse than what Obama wants the public to believe
When the Bureau of Labor and Statistics released its June 2009 joblessness rate, the number ballooned to 467,000, putting a total 7.2 million out of work since the onset of the recession. The unemployment rate had reached 9.5%, the highest in 26 years. It was the largest job contraction in a 6 month period since the 1940’s.
With lack of public confidence, the meltdown drags--- the huge job loss equaled the job gain in the last 9 years. As a consequence, U.S. Federal Reserve officials revised their unemployment forecast to top 10 percent, above the 9.6 percent that was previously predicted. Economists and financial analysts foresee the unemployment rate to rise between 9.8 and 10.1 percent in 2009.
States Above 10% Joblessness Rate:
Alabama,
California,
Florida,
Georgia,
Illinois,
Indiana,
Louisiana,
Michigan
Nevada,
North Carolina,
Ohio, Oregon,
Rhode Island,
South Carolina
Tennessee.
"Most Fed policymakers said it could take "five or six years" for the economy and the labor market to get back on a path of long-term health. To get there, consumers must return to a regular spending groove and housing prices need to start rising again."---AP (07/17/09, Aversa, J.)
According to Mortimer Zuckerman of the US News (07/15/09,) the June data include 185,000 people who are presumed to have work, but in reality, may be jobless. Not part of the unemployment list are the unpaid leaves that have become commonplace. The work-hours in many industries have dropped and fulltime jobs for workers are being converted to part time.
About 1.4 million people are available to work within the last 12 months, but they have not been looking for employment. The average duration of joblessness in this recession has lengthened to 24.5 weeks and the average pay of workers remained at $18.53 per hour. About 223,000 positions in the production sector have been lost, creating a dismal picture for labor.
Obviously, Obama’s good intentions did not translate into success. Instead, more whispers of difficult times spook Americans who could just wait and see how the administration churn the business climate to stimulate the economy and create jobs.
With Obama’s falling popularity and shortening of public patience, a second stimulus program is in the horizon, furthering the alarming big borrowing and spending of the government. The budget deficit has skyrocketted. Just as before, financial planners and legislators in Capitol Hill have little accountability. As doubt mounts and money flows into uncertain hands, it’s the American people who are caught between the stone and a rock-hard place. (Photo Credit: Darth Dragon) =0=
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US jobless rate up to 9.4%
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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80,000 nurses prepare to take the June board exam
Marco Sto. Tomas of the Professional Regulations commission (PRC) announced that nearly 80,000 nurses have filed their papers for the incoming nurse licensure test to be given in different testing sites on June 6 and 7, 2009. In spite of a decline of students taking the course, the number of nurses far exceeds what the country needs. The number of nursing board examinees for June 2009 could have been bigger if many graduates submitted their applications on time.
Because of the slowing of demand for domestic and international nurses, a flood of licensed healthcare workers is expected to jack up the number of unemployed professionals. The passing of the test is the first step to gain employment, but it isn’t a guarantee that a licensed nurse can land a job. Those who can’t find work go on to volunteer in hospitals and clinics without pay or they reinvent themselves in other professions.
For sometime, the government is urged to come up with a rational labor allocation plan to avoid the surplus of the country’s health professionals. Filipinos plead to open more work at home so that job-seekers will not be forced to leave and take dangerous jobs abroad. (Photo Credit: Glenmcbethlaw) =0=
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Sen. Francis Escudero says the Arroyo government must face joblessness squarely
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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14 million Filipino adults are jobless, but the Arroyo administration thinks it’s just a “perception”
It’s one of the bad news that we Filipinos rather forget, but the Social Weather Stations (SWS ) registered a dismal picture of adult employment in the country. Thirty four (34%) of Filipino adults, approximately 14 million people are jobless. No one can argue against the strain unemployment brings to the economy.
According to the SWS, the number does not include those who don’t look for jobs---those who are sick, the disabled, home mommies and daddies. Philippine unemployment is almost 4x as high as the jobless rate (8.9% as of April, 2009) in USA at this time. Jobless Filipinos are more than 10x the entire population of Trinidad and Tobago and 2x greater the inhabitants of Georgia, a former state of the Soviet Union.
“In its First Quarter Social Weather Survey last Feb. 20 to 23, SWS also said 13 percent of adults voluntarily left their old job, while 12 percent were retrenched. The 12 percent who were retrenched included nine percent who were laid off and three percent whose previous contracts were not renewed."---GMA TV News (05/12/09)
Since I am forcibly retired because of illness, I meet many Filipinos my age who don’t work----either they have given up looking because there’s almost no job for them out there or they have been laid off too early as early retirees----an option in the company of work. Able-bodied and healthy, some of the jobless have not been employed all their lives, spending their time sitting around.
What will these jobless adults do if they live long enough to grow in an old age of 100? What happens to a country where more than a third of adults have no way to earn a living? How long can the people take their poverty?
Since 2005, the joblessness is persistently high----more than 20%. Many companies have closed shop and left the country. The few jobs available are positions in the government, not in the private sector. Many have to travel abroad to work as overseas foreign workers (OFWs,) yet this too has suffered a slump.
It’s truly sobering to think of the huge unemployment problem. But in times of recession, one needs to be creative and persistent. We can’t rely on the word of the Arroyo administration to survive. It’s a foul joke for the government to dismiss this staggering joblessness as “perception.” Interestingly, Pres. Gloria Arroyo also says the same thing about corruption.
International Labor Organization (ILO) Definition of Unemployment
“The current definition of "unemployed" is based on the International Labor Organization (ILO) concept.
Adopted by the National Statistics Office in April 2005, the ILO concept sets three criteria in order for a person 15 years old or older to be considered as unemployed. He or she must be:
1. without work, AND
2. is actively seeking work OR not seeking work due to valid reasons, AND
3. currently available for work.
The old Philippine definition of "unemployed" considered only the first two criteria.
Under the new definition (ILO concept), people unavailable for work, or are available for work but are not looking for work, are not part of the labor force and are not considered as unemployed.”---Source: GMA TV News/ National Statistics Office (NSO) (05/12/09) (Photo Credits: DenesG1; No Worries Windor)
RELATED BLOGS: Typhoon Emong’s death toll of 43, a drop in OFW employment and a rise in H1N1 flu Posted by mesiamd at 5/12/2009; For lack of local jobs, Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo asks Filipinos to leave for employment abroad Posted by mesiamd at 3/02/2009 ; Fearless economic forecasts Posted by mesiamd at 3/11/2009; Fearless economic forecasts Posted by mesiamd at 3/11/2009; Fewer local jobs, rising numbers of OFW’s & fishermen plucked from stormy sea Posted by mesiamd at 1/22/2009
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US jobless rate slows, but still high at 8.9%
Banking on hope that USA is on its way to economic recovery, the Obama administration takes consolation in having less than the expected joblessness for the month of April. The US Labor Department reveals that unemployment rate last month has risen to 8.9%, the highest ever since 1983.
Many of the jobs filled are vacancies in the government bureaucracy and less from employment generated by the private sector. This is in spite of the bail-outs given to shore up the ailing financial health of big businesses. The companies which asked for help from the US government have hardly been rehabilitated.
"This was another bad report. There was a significant deterioration in the labor market again. The job loss is large, it is widespread, it is affecting every industry sector and every demographic group," Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics," Keith Hall said.---Voice of America News.com (08/09/09, Tate, D)
The data showed 539,000 jobs were lost in April, bringing the total number of unemployed to 13.7 million, up from 13.2 million in March. The half a million job loss was lower than what economic experts earlier predicted. It was unclear why the worrisome employment recond didn’t dampen Wall Street which ended in a positive territory as the week ended.
Americans are soberly waiting for the Obama "magic" to take effect. It's too early to say whether the US economy is on the road to recovery. The huge bail-out money infused into the financial market can't be a guarantee. Americans have learned a hard lesson from the reckless spending prior to the recession. Basically, the ordinary US citizen is on his own, just hoping that those who manage the economy of the country will come out doing the right thing. (Photo Credit: Ben Heine) =0=
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TB patients without treatment, lowered hunger rate & recent joblessness data
135,000
Tuberculosis, the chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis has reportedly gone down in prevalence in the Philippines, but there are an estimated 450,000 people still suffering from the disease. Of this number, a staggering 135,000 don’t seek medical treatment offered by the government. In spite of free diagnostic and treatment programs available, about 30% with TB choose to ignore the disease until the condition becomes complicated and hard to treat. Cultural barriers and stigma are reasons offered for the people’s refusal for TB treatment.
P11.3 billion
For the full automation of the 2010 national election, Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo signed the budget of P11.3 billion. Although it is unclear how the government will implement the modernization, the upgrade of the electoral counting system is hoped to prevent the rampant cheating in the election process. At the late hour of the Arroyo’s presidency, many still doubt her winning in the last ballot.
15%
According to the SWS, 15% of Filipinos (2.9 million families) reported of being hungry for at least once in a period of three months. The survey taken in February 20-23 was an improvement from December’s finding of 23.7% (4.3 million families.) It is unclear what kind of food poor Filipinos eat with their meager food budget.
$280-290 billion
The World Bank estimates this amount of remittance to developing countries by OFWs----gains from employment abroad. This is lower and less rosy than the expected amount of $305 billion---an effect of the global financial crisis. In 2008, 1.376 million Filipinos went abroad to work in more than 190 host nations. They sent back an estimated US$16.4 billion to the country, the highest in history so far.
41,000
The number of workers who lost the jobs, raising the unemployment rate to 7.7% in January, 2009, according to Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo. This adds up to the 2.9 million of jobless individuals which rose by 0.3% from last year’s data. As a cost-saving measure, the president announced the cancellation of the independence parade this year which costs P30 million to stage. (Photo Credit: =0=
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More OFWs leave the country for jobs abroad
It should tbe consolation to the Philippines that more Filipinos work outside the country in January this year than last year. Philippine Overseass Employment Administration (POEA) reports that 165,737 compared to 132,285 left the country for jobs abroad. “This resoundingly affirms the sustained global preference for our skilled and semi-skilled overseas Filipino workers (OFW), and their productive role in staving off the adverse effects of the global slowdown in the greater portion of the world’s economies," said Labor Secretary Marianito Roque.---GMA TV News (03/24/09, Tan, JT)
The exodus of workers to foreign land has brought about US$16.4 billion dollars to the Philippine economy. In spite of the economic benefits, working abroad has caused a lot alienation, family displacement, and separation.
Filipinos still need to develop local placements and not rely on foreign work opportunities which disrupt local labor. There are many jobs with difficult working conditions abroad and Filipinos are forced to take them for lack of employment in the country. It is not hard to imagine that many of these jobs are menial, dangerous, and demanding that many locals of host countries refuse to take. (Photo Credit: Atsibatsi)=0=
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Declining English proficiency, a cause of fewer hires among Filipino college graduates
The Philippines is relying heavily on its workforce to shore up the economy, but a recent evaluation of the Universal Access to Competitiveness and Trade (UACT,) a research arm of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce reveals that: “For every 100 applicants, only six to 10 percent are effectively recruited and deployed for an entry level job.” ----Philstar (03/22/09, Ronda, RA)
The main reason given why the Business process outsourcing (BPO) is having a hard time recruiting graduates from Philippine colleges and universities is the inadequacy in English proficiency. This is radical reversal of the Filipinos’ long-standing reputation of being good in English. It appears the country is now suffering the negative effects of its schizophrenic bilingual policy that continues to be a contentious issue in education. (Photo Credit: Atsibatsi) =0=
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For lack of local jobs, Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo asks Filipinos to leave for employment abroad
Without enough jobs available locally, Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo continues to call on her people to pursue jobs abroad. About 500,000 employment positions, mainly in construction are available in the Middle East, Australia, and Canada. This is the recommendation of the country's president (the "top economist and chief executive officer") for the employment-seekers present in a job summit at the Malacanang Palace.
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Augusto Syjuco advises Filipinos to take alternative courses in butchery, tile-laying, roofing, carpentry and other menial jobs just to survive in a growing economic crisis.
Something is wrong with their recommendations. The policy of sending Filipinos outside has drifted away from the task of government to provide livelihood for its people. For the government to adopt a policy of encouraging talents to leave the country is objectionable.
An estimated 9 million Filipinos are currently working abroad to support families and help avert the financial collapse of the country. Government critics complain that more Filipinos will be separated from their families and placed in risky conditions as a consequence of being forced to leave the country.
There is sadness in seeing a president advise its people to take menial work abroad as a way to build a nation back home---much more sadness in seeing officials propose second courses in preparation for jobs availabe outside. (Photo Credit: Mark Hillary) =0=
RELATED BLOG: "Who says we are spared from the effects of recession?" Posted by mesiamd at 2/27/2009
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Who says we are spared from the effects of recession?
Presidential spokesman Anthony Golez said the Philippines wasn’t among the Asian countries affected by the worldwide recession. It might be a lie that Malacanang Palace wanted us to believe. He based his conclusion to the non-inclusion of the country in the International Labor Organization (ILO) list which projects 113 million jobs loss in Asia as the world economy continues to falter (Malaya , 02/20/09 Bengco, R.) According to ILO, the expected unemployment number this year will be more than the 22.3 million jobs Asian countries lost in 2008.
It will do us good if we look closely at the data Golez is referring to before we celebrate. We aren't that trusting anymore. The effects of the financial meltdown are just beginning to show. It is foolhardy for him and the government he represents to assume that we aren’t affected.
The unemployment we see in the street is a better gauge than the assurances of government officials. We see what food we eat and what clothes we wear. Most of us are familiar of the signs of chronic job loss and their aftermath. The employment stagnation in the country is long-standing and antedates the global economic meltdown.
5,500 OFWs lose jobs—--Arroyo
"Some 5,500 Filipino overseas workers have lost their jobs abroad and returned home over the past four months, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said Thursday. The Department of Labor announced earlier this week that 39,000 Filipinos had lost their jobs since October, a number which included overseas workers."---Agence France-Presse/ Inquirer (02/26/09)
Foreign companies are pulling out their business operations in Manila. Unemployment among fresh graduates continues to rise. There is pervasive underemployment and lay-offs. The rush for jobs abroad doesn’t abate even if applicants downgrade their qualifications just to grab work even if it is risky and suffers from inadequate pay. With a bearish investment climate, people are afraid to shell out money that stir spending and growth. The number of impoverished Filipinos continues to rise.
Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo’s job creation is too little to assuage the fear and anger of the public. The government projects that are quick-disbursing, high-impact, and labor intensive (according to Management Dir. Hermogenes Esperon) don’t come close to reality when one sees the widespread unemployment, poverty, and corruption in the country. That’s why we rely early on ourselves more than depend on announced legislated measures by the administration. (Photo Credits: Slavishtubesocks; JRIOrion)=0=
3,000 IT & 10,000 semiconductor jobs at risk
"At least 3,000 information technology (IT) jobs are at risk in first quarter alone while 10,000 positions in semiconductor industry could be shed during the first half of the year due to the global economic slump."---GMANewsTV (02/28/09)
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“Osama Bin Laden” among the 11.000 job applicants for "the best job in the world"
Unemployment is common and rising worldwide. The recruitment to fill in the “best job in the world” drummed up by the Queensland Department of Tourism drew 11,000 applicants who expressed interest to be a promoter of Hamilton Island, a picturesque tourist spot destination in the eastern coast of Australia. Among the earnest job seekers is a prankster named Osama Bin Laden (OBL) who submitted a video application at www.islandreefjob.com website showing the real bearded fugitive OBL in his night gown justifying his qualifications to be an island caretaker.
“One of the applications was a 30-second prank video showing the world's most wanted man, with nonsensical sounds dubbed over his real voice. Using subtitles, bin Laden argues his case for the six-month contract, describing himself as "outgoing," "familiar with sandy areas" and experienced with ‘large scale event coordination.’ “---Yahoo. News (02/05/09, Goldsmith B, Fahmy, M)
The tourism job which offers $150,000 for a six-month outdoor stint in an island with enchanting coral reefs and unspoiled beaches attracted unusually high number of eager applicants from 162 countries. The successful employment seeker will be chosen at the conclusion of the $17,000-tourism campaign which offers a rent-free, stress-free stay in a villa in Australia’s Hamilton Island. (Photo Credit: Nattus x 2) =0=
RELATED BLOGS: "Best job in some enchanted island: Is it for you?" Posted on Tuesday January 13th, 2009 by mesiamd; "'Best Job in the World' website crashes in a deluge of interested applicants" Posted on Wednesday January 14th, 2009 by mesiamd.
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