00:00The Philippine Statistics Authority, or PSA, reports a positive trend with the increase in youth employment reaching 5.44 million in October.
00:09This is accompanied by a decline in out-of-school youth and an easing of overall unemployment to 5%, driven by seasonal hiring in retail and food services.
00:20Denise Osorio has more to this story.
00:24More young Filipinos are finding work as seasonal hiring intensifies during the final months of the year.
00:29Among them is 23-year-old Shane Kagitla, who secured a job in a coffee shop during last year's mass recruitment drive.
00:36She says flexible working hours have allowed her to keep up with her studies.
00:40Nag-enjoy po ako sa ginagawa ko, and maraming din po ako natutunan.
00:46And ayun po, mas sababalans ko pa rin po yung school ko until now, and sa work po.
00:52Then hindi naman po siya naging mabigat para sa akin.
00:54Shane plans to continue working to maintain her financial independence, even as her graduation draws nearer.
01:01Nagkaroon po ako ng allowance ko po sa school, and syempre, nadagdagan na rin po yung panggasas ko, and yung mga needs ko po na po-provide ko na rin po.
01:10Another student, 19-year-old Angelo Savigliano, began working at 16.
01:15He installs solar panels part-time, and says demand for informal jobs typically rises during the holiday season.
01:21Yung pantos-tos rin po, kasi minsan pagpapasok, walang baon eh.
01:24His earnings now allow him to help support his family in the province.
01:28Pag sumasawod naman po ako, hati-hati po, bibigay po sa pamilya ko.
01:31Tapos yung sa akin po, bibili ko ng mga gamit, pang baon.
01:34The Philippine Statistics Authority says the accommodation and food services sector continues to see growth,
01:40with an additional 30,000 young workers joining the industry this third quarter.
01:44The PSA also reports a rise in youth employment, which reached 5.44 million in October, up from 4.87 million in July.
01:53Inimayin natin kung saan ang mga sektor na nagkaroon ng pagtaas, quarter on quarter.
01:59For example, ang malaki ay nasa wholesale and retail trade.
02:03Mga nagdagdag siya ng 254,000.
02:08Pangalawa, yung agriculture and forestry.
02:10So ito rin yung malaki yung increase, quarter on quarter, dagdagdag ng 289,000.
02:17PSA National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa notes this increase is mirrored by a decline in the number of out-of-school youth
02:24at 2.62 million in October, down from 3.20 million earlier in July.
02:29Turning to the wider labor market, overall unemployment ease to 5%, representing 2.54 million people without work.
02:37This is down from 5.3% or 2.59 million in July, as the employment rate rose to 95% up from 94.7%.
02:46The PSA attributes some of the gains to seasonal demand in retail and agriculture ahead of the harvest period.
02:52Nagkaroon tayo ng increase, agricultural and forestry, ng mga 1.87 million, quarter on quarter.
03:02At ang pinakamalaki dito na nag-contribute ay yung growing of body rice, kasi yung ating peak season sa rice farming ay fourth quarter.
03:14Mapa adds that typhoons earlier in the year had affected employment rates in July, contributing to a stronger recovery in October.
03:21Meanwhile, working students say that although employment helps meet daily expenses, maintaining a balance between work and study remains crucial.
03:29And saving money is especially important as more part-time roles open during the burr months.
03:34Denise Osorio for the National Television Network for a New and Better Philippines.
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