Hundreds of people in the Philippines are losing their jobs every day as the global economy slows, Labour Secretary Marianito Roque said Friday.
Between December 1 and January 19, some 15,600 workers were laid off, Roque said in a radio interview.
Over the same period, 19,000 others had their shifts or working hours reduced.
“Just for today it was reported to us that 458 people nationwide could lose their jobs,” Roque said.
He said most of the job cuts were happening in the electronics sector, which has suffered from plunging global demand.
The sector employs 480,000 people and accounts for nearly 70 per cent of Philippine exports.
After US chip maker Intel Corp announced the closure of a chip testing plant in Cavite province this week with the loss of 1,800 jobs, Roque warned that up to 60,000 Filipinos could lose their jobs this year, mainly in the electronics and garments industries.
Roque said he did not keep comparative figures for previous years, but stressed: “This is not normal. This is not business as usual.”
Leave Your Comments