DOLE: 5M lost jobs due to pandemic

About 5 million Filipinos lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic according to DOLE.

Labor Sec. Silvestre Bello III said this figure is based on official records and differs from the SWS survey which estimated 12.7 million jobless Filipinos in Q4 2020.

Bello explained that the SWS survey likely included those temporarily terminated or affected by flexible working arrangements, while DOLE's count only includes permanent job losses.

The government aims to reopen the economy to address unemployment and generate more jobs for citizens as per Malacañang spokesperson Harry Roque.