With the very welcoming ambiance of this platform, I can say I am lucky I am here. By the way, this is Domingga. No, it is not the seventh day of the week nor the first one. It is unique from that way.

In this post I am sharing to you, I would like to impress, char. What I mean is, I want to fill it with something that is a bit serious. And here it is my first topic.

Unemployment Rate

Hopelessness is what unemployment brings to many Filipinos. Many of us have what it takes to earn money and work a profession, but only a few opportunities present themselves. A country with a stable and developed economy is a country that provides jobs to its citizens. However, the Philippines has an undeniably high unemployment rate as compared to other countries.

As defined by National Statistical Coordination Board, unemployment includes all individuals who are fiftheen years and over are reported as without work and currently available for work and looking for a job or without work and now available not looking for work. Reasons can be Tired or believed no work available, still awaiting previous job application results, temporary illness or disability, bad weather, or waiting for rehire/job recall.

Despite employment growth throughout the years, the rate of unemployment remained high in the country, at almost twice the level of some nearby countries. The relatively strong rise in employment does not even budge the stubborn problem of unemployment. With the pandemic unexpectedly disturbing the whole world, our struggling country took a huge hit evident in statistics.

According to Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), unemployment increased to 17.7% percent in April 2020, equivalent to around 7.3 million jobless Filipinos during a pandemic. Dennis Mapa, a national statistician, said that this is the highest unemployment rate recorded. Additionally, all regions in the country experienced a double-digit unemployment rate, with the highest unemployment rate in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) at 29.8 percent.

Hopelessness seems to be really fitting of the situation we are currently facing right now. Not only are many Filipinos are out of their jobs, but prices also keep rising, and this pandemic will not end any sooner. What this pandemic did was not create problems. It only heightened the present issues that we have been keeping off at bay all these years. This crisis has slapped us, that we must take action to make considerable efforts to resolve this issue.

The government, as the one with power and authority, needs to step up. According to the Manila Times article, the consensus of most economists here and abroad with regards to the local unemployment situation emphasizes the need to promote a more appropriate balance between rural and urban economic opportunities. Through government interventions and investments from private sectors, the rural sector's integrated developments while spreading small-scale industries in the countryside will be achieved. Expected outcomes will be an increasing number of opportunities for the many. The ones in position should keep their eyes on the populated capital and the rural areas that need a little boost.

On the other hand, education has its own connections with unemployment. The quality of education in our country had always been an issue, affecting all factors. Many unemployed Filipinos are actually educated. What is in question is the appropriateness and relevance of the educational system to the future work they are aiming for. The courses and their curriculum should be continuously improved and reviewed to go well with society's needs.

As individuals, there are also things we can do. There are still job opportunities out there. Just the information dissemination is lacking. We are in the information age, and we should continue to share reliable and credible information. Other than that, we should also not be unemployed as much as we can. We should always be prepared, so we will be ready to grab it without hesitation when the opportunity comes. We must study and enhance our skills with our education.

We should share information about scholarship grants and student financial assistance programs available. We must remember that even small actions will make a difference.

Thanks!