ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanews/16 March) – Three Mindanao regions were among the top five areas in the country that posted the highest employment rates in January 2011, the National Statistics Office (NSO) announced Tuesday.
The NSO said that one of the three Mindanao regions–Zamboanga Peninsula–tied with Cagayan Valley region at the top spot each registering an employment rate of 96 percent based on the January 2011 Labor Force Survey.
The Zamboanga Peninsula comprises the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Sur and the cities of Dapitan, Dipolog, Isabela, Pagadian and Zamboanga.
Region 12 which comprises South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City followed second with a 96.8-percent employment rate.
Ranked third with 96.-percent employment rate was the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao which is composed of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and Marawi City.
Fourth is MIMAROPA or the provinces of Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan which registered an employment rate of 95.7 percent.
The NSO said that the services sector accounted for the largest workforce with more than half or 52.5 percent of the estimated 36.3 million employed individuals in January 2011.
The largest employed workforce in the services sector (20 percent) was in wholesale and retail trade, and repair of motor vehicles and personal and household goods.
Workers in the agriculture sector accounted for 32.9 percent of the total employed persons, with those engaged in agriculture, hunting and forestry making up the largest sub-sector with 29 percent.
Only 14.5 percent of the employed workers were in the industry sector, with the manufacturing sub-sector making up the largest percentage with 8.1 percent, according to the NSO. (Mindanews)
