Romualdez Welcomes 2M New Jobs in Agriculture, Trade Sectors

House Speaker Martin Romualdez hailed the January 2025 Labor Force Survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which reported the creation of over 2 million jobs in the first month of the year.

Job Growth by Sector:

🌾 Agriculture & Forestry – 883,000 new jobs
🛍️ Wholesale & Retail Trade – 850,000 new jobs
🏨 Accommodation & Food Services – 533,000 new jobs
🚚 Transportation & Storage – 141,000 new jobs
📑 Administrative & Support Services – 136,000 new jobs

“These figures reflect the effectiveness of our policies in expanding employment opportunities,” Romualdez said.

Unemployment & Underemployment Concerns

Despite job growth, the PSA report also showed:
📉 Unemployment rate rose from 3.1% (Dec 2024) to 4.3% (Jan 2025).
📉 Underemployment increased from 10.9% to 13.3% in the same period.

“We see job growth, but many Filipinos are still looking for better opportunities,” Romualdez noted, pushing for long-term job stability.

Proposed Economic Boost Measures

✅ Easier financing for small businesses
✅ Streamlined government processes to attract investments
✅ Improved infrastructure development
✅ Enhanced technical-vocational education