Doing not just knowing

What were the reasons why 4.7 million Filipinos quit their jobs in the first half of 2015? It’s obviously not to transfer to other jobs because if that’s the case then they would not have joined the ranks of the jobless.

Likewise, what prompted local companies to retrench 4.4 million Filipinos in the same six-month period at a time when the government is boasting of a vibrant economy with a 6-plus percent growth rate?

Are low export and local demands for Philippine manufactured goods to blame for local industries reducing their production or altogether shutting down?

These are among the questions that government technocrats and economists should answer in the light of a recent survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS), which said a total of 10.5 million Filipinos were jobless as of last June, an increase of 1.5 million from the 9 million jobless in March.

Of the 10.5 million, only 1.3 million were first-time job seekers, thus government economists cannot use their favorite scapegoats, which are the alleged lack of qualified applicants for available jobs (jobs-skills mismatch) and the fresh college graduates joining the ranks of the unemployed as they look for jobs.

The very worrying data is the 4.7 million who reportedly quit their jobs. Really, at this time when local jobs are scarce, why would such a big number of Filipinos throw in the towel?

These questions must be answered just for the sake of getting answers but to see what government can do to help local industries find new markets abroad for their products and how to increase local consumer appetite.

Of course, consumer appetite is almost always connected with purchasing power and having jobs that provide that power to procure goods and services. Economic experts know this, but we’re already past the point of knowing as what’s needed is doing. –End-

Image by: Pseudoeconimics