Palace dismisses SWS unemployment survey as 'perception'

MANILA, Philippines – “It is more a perception than a reality." So described Press Secretary Cerge Remonde on Tuesday the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey indicating that adult unemployment rose to a record 34.2 percent or about 14 million Filipinos. Remonde also said the SWS’s First Quarter Social Weather Survey, which was conducted from February 20 to 23 this year, is not as accurate as Labor Department’s Labor Force Survey (LFS). Remonde said the said the LFS has a “very much wider reach" compared to that of the SWS, which had only 1,200 respondents. The SWS survey likewise indicated that of the unemployed adult Filipinos, 13 percent 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. SWS said that since it started its data series in 1993, unemployment was below 15 percent until March 2004, and then ranged from 16.5 percent to 19.0 percent from August 2004 to March 2005. The SWS data on unemployment refer to the population of adults in the labor force. Respondents in the standard SWS surveys are those at least 18 years old. Despite bristling at the survey results, Remonde still said that "the results of surveys, whether real or perception, should guide government. It should encourage the government to pursue job generation and creation, both here and abroad, with greater ardor." For his part, acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Rolando Tungpalan said he was not aware of SWS’ methodology in conducting its surveys. He only said the National Economic and Development Authority is monitoring sectors vulnerable to unemployment. Tungpalan added that job displacement has been easing, with only 1,000 workers being displaced in April 1-15. He added that the reported mass layoff of 6,695 overseas Filipino workers is being offset by 3,000 deployments daily. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV