Numbers and questions

Recently released unemployment figures do not bode well for the economy. At 4.1 percent in April 2025 this means that unemployed Filipinos are now at 2.6 million Filipinos. In addition, a recent release from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas indicated that the Consumer Expectations Survey shows that consumers are more pessimistic than optimistic, though optimism remains for the next 12 months.

- JOHN TRIA

It is against this backdrop that we hear proposals such as HB 11376, calling for a sudden P200 nationwide minimum wage increase across all businesses, both agricultural or non-agricultural. Let us examine data on the business sector.

For one, based on 2023 DTI data, only .37 percent or a minority of 1,246,373 business enterprises are large companies. Ninety-nine percent are Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that employ almost two out of three Filipino workers.