History has brought upon wonders on how economists view the conditions of different nations whether it is about aggregate output or policies implemented by the government and central bank. Now, it is quite interesting to note how unemployment, as I have studied in the last few weeks, indicates a far different realization when applied to the Philippine setting. It is as if unemployment in our country wears a mask that hides how the government, even with its good intentions, fails to address the more pressing problem we have, which is poverty. “The poor can’t afford to be unemployed” The cliché statement above may very well describe how unemployment pose as a false indicator of the development of the country in terms of its working force. …show more content…
This further enhances our view that most of the unemployed people are those who can afford to be one, so it reveals that our country is not only burdened with high unemployment but also from dire conditions faced by those who are already employed. This now questions my belief on whether the establishment of special economic zones by the current government would remedy both problems. Lastly, it is a question of whether there is a need to reconsider the merits of unemployment in establishing policies. Filipinos deserve something better. As shown in the paper I read, an increase in unemployment has little effect to poverty, which indicates that Filipinos who are employed are no better than those who are unemployed. Meaning, most of the employed in the country do not maximize their capabilities since they are underemployed that suggests a lower productivity. This occurrence may have been the reason why many Filipinos opt to work abroad where their capabilities are valued more resulting to our lack of competent workers. Furthermore, looking deeper to the employed sector in the country to those who are informally employed—such as the vendors we see on the sidewalks, jeepney drivers, domestic help, and many more—shows that the major part of the employed are poor people struggling to survive the harsh conditions they are faced with. This is the second matter concerning the unemployment in the country aside from the evident lack of welfare benefits discussed earlier.
Poverty is a multifaceted issue, it is dependent on many factors and the ‘one size fits all’ approach does not work. Out of all the possible explanations as to why people are still living in poverty in the U.S., the structural view of poverty covers the most bases. The structural view of poverty explains that poverty can only ‘be understood and explained only with reference to political and economic characteristics of the society’ (Kerbo, p.266). With this in mind, this theory considers the position of the poor in the occupational structure. Since the poor have jobs that require low skill, which means anyone can learn how to do them, there is much more competition for such jobs. Those with jobs that require greater skills, such as doctors,
Unemployment is seen as one of the possible reasons for the increase in poverty rates, despite the increase in welfare payments. Whilst it is likely that this startling increase in unemployment levels is partly responsible for the increase in poverty, it still
Analyse the causes of unemployment, its effects on the Australian economy and how they are addressed through use of macroeconomic policies.
Carbayas, R. (2012). Raising dependents: The Philippines ‘ “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program” (4Ps). PIA Western Mindana, Awesome Inc
Other politicians have made poverty alleviation top priority, but the pro-poor discourse of Duterte’s competitors such as those of Mayor Binay and Mar Roxas fell on deaf ears as voters had by that time grown weary of false promises. These people wanted something different and in Duterte they saw an outsider, like them, trying to make way in a world dominated by elites. During the 6 year period before his presidency the Philippines experienced a major economic boom that vanquished its title as the sick man of Asia. From 2011 to 2016, Aquino’s term, the Philippines was consistently the fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia. Republic of the Philippines’ sovereign bonds reached investment grade status. The peso appreciated and held steady at PHP44 to one USD. These gains unfortunately did not translate into a change in per capita among the poor. A Huffington Post article in evaluating Aquino’s record says that “The incidence of poverty remains virtually unchanged — at 25 percent since 2009 - as has the unemployment rate, which has remained in the 6-7 percent range.” This skewed economic progress played directly into Duterte’s hands. He capitalized on this frustration, cultivated it, and gave it roots. In a speech in Los Baňos Duterte said “I’m really disgusted the way government is being run because it is oppressing the
Even though today’s world seems to advance their still seems to be one very serious and large issue, poverty and hunger. This issue is seen in lots of nations across the world, but it’s seen more in third world countries in East Asia, Africa, and South America. After many natural disasters and multiple changes in the form of government the country of the Philippines seems to have a high number of people living in poverty and starvation. Due to the free enterprise market, workers in the Philippines work hard and long hours for very little pay. The number one business in the Philippines is farming, and for this you don’t need to study, which means lots of people drop out of school, a higher education would become better jobs. A stainable solution to end poverty would be to keep a stable government that will help the economy during natural disaster.
Even in Philippines’ economy, only the minority benefits from the fruits of business and production. Economic democracy is not well-implemented in the country. Economic democracy, said Mill, is substituting capitalist businesses into workers’ cooperatives so that workers would have more benefits and power for their own welfare. In Philippines’ status quo, the capitalist system is growing and workers’ welfare is being set aside. Profits of businesses mostly go to the capitalists, while workers earn a minimum wage and are not given benefits that workers are supposed to have. The country’s economic progress is characterized by development aggression, where only the minority benefits from the
The Philippines is one of the developing countries presently. It is poised to become an industrialized country within 5-10 years. The main economic drivers are the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who usually remit on average $25 Billion a year (www.bsp.gov.ph/Statistics/keystat/ofw.htm). Next to this are the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) which is popularly known as call center business which churns about $18 Billion a year (www.asiabriefing.com/news/2015/02/oursourcing-bpo). You could see skyscrapers in major metropolitan areas sprouting unceasingly signalling that the economy is robust and poised to take off. Or is it really? This paper will attempt to analyze the travails and missteps of this beautiful country endowed with rich natural resources with 7,107 islands called an archipelago with seas and oceans surrounding these islands. The naturally hospitable, friendly and smiley people lends a strong backdrop to this country with about 107 million population (http://itsmorefuninthephilippines.com/). It has a good English-speaking population which is why the biggest bank of the US, JP Morgan Chase has call centers and direct hired telephone bankers, officers, and specialists, celebrating its 10th year of presence in the Philippines. Wells Fargo, the no. 4 bank also has extensive call centers and back office support in the Philippines. These foreign parties-driven businesses coming from the OFWs and BPOs are the main drivers of the economy.
1. To gain a better understanding of the immediate and long-lasting labour market impact of the global economic crisis in the Philippines
The Philippines is one of eight countries that comprise Southeast Asia. A mass of thousands of islands, the country has been struggling to obtain true democracy and freedom for its citizens. After a review of the political history and demographics of the country, an in-depth analysis of the economic condition of the Philippines will be explored. Appendix A contains a map of the Philippines by different cultural regions. Economic topics will include Fiscal and Monetary policies, as well as a review of the peso. Next, significant economic indicators will be discussed, including unemployment, interest
The Philippines has been lagging behind its neighboring countries such as the People’s Republic of China, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam both economically and in public education for the past four decades. With its economy being characterized by boom-bust cycles and episodes of moderate economic growth little has helped to alleviate the poverty. Poverty among households has increased from 24.4% to 26.9% between the years of 2003 and 2006. With the increase in poor families
At present the Philippines is in a depressed albeit not grim state. It remains firmly enmeshed in the World Banks lower middle income category of nations with a GDP per capita of $1,050 (U.S. 1998 Atlas method). 38% of the Philippines population is below the national poverty
The nature, composition and causes of poverty in the Philippines as well as the responses required to eliminate poverty have been discussed amongst representatives of Government, civil society, the private sector, and the international donor community at several forums. The most important among these forums are the five island-wide multi-sectoral consultation workshops to discuss the draft NAAA in 2000, the Employment Summit in Manila in March 2001, and the various consultative meetings and workshops for the
Philippines is primarily concerned on the issue of Filipino workers leaving the country for temporary work, which results into the loss of human resources. As reported, a number of professionals, technical and skilled workers and even craftsmen are found to be working overseas. The said trend of Filipinos working overseas started since middle of seventies (1970’s) after the Labor Code of the Philippines was passed. Since then, the numbers of Filipino workers opting to work abroad continue to increase. From 7.3 million, perhaps 8% of country’s population is choosing to work abroad in 2004, there is now about 9 million or 10% of the country’s total population. However, it is important that the numerical data suggested above is an estimated and about 42% of the total numbers are Filipinos who are permanently working and residing overseas.
Determined to create jobs here at home and to ensure that Filipinos need not leave their families to go abroad to work, former President Benigno Aquino III, issued a 22-point platform and policy implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). President Aquino also wanted to ensure that the country’s labor policies were aligned with international treaties and international labor conventions to effectively protect the rights of workers, especially those working abroad.