poverty.19
6.11. All these estimates are inflated in comparison to other countries because the Philippine allowance for food expenditures is too generous by international standards. Using a poverty line more similar to those used in Indonesia, China and Thailand, poverty incidence in the Philippines is greater than in China and Indonesia, but less than in Thailand.20
7.0. Employment
7.1. Employment statistics are based on the Labor Force Survey which is conducted quarterly, that is, every January, April, July and October.21 Comparative statistics available from 1987 onwards use the past week as reference period; information prior to 1987 used the past quarter as reference period. These are available at the regional/provincial/key city level.
7.2. Statistics gathered related to employment are: sex; age; marital status; highest grade completed; main activity/usual occupation; primary occupation; kind of business/industry; class of worker; nature of employment; normal working hours per day; total number of hours worked; and underemployment.
7.3. The labor force participation rate from 1987 to 1997 has ranged from 64 to 67 percent during the first, third and fourth quarter. This rate goes up during the second quarter when the survey captures the new graduates immediately looking for work.
7.4. The unemployment rate also has its peak during the second quarter, usu-
19 Virola, R.A. and David, I.P. A Comparative Review of Poverty Assessment: Philippines and Indonesia. Manila, 1995.
20 The World Bank. A Strategy to Fight Poverty: Philippines. March 1996.
21 In between population censuses, household surveys are undertaken as per a 10-year program which includes various modules. The basic household survey is the labor force survey, which is taken every quarter, to provide snapshots of the employment characteristics of the population. Among the household surveys modules taken with the labor force surveys are: National Demographic Survey (in years ending with 3 and 8); National Health Survey (in years ending with 2 and 7); Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (in years ending in 4 and 9); Family Income and Expenditures Survey (every three years, i.e., 1991, 1994, 1997, etc.); Survey on Overseas Filipinos (every third quarter of the year), etc.. Other riders to the labor force survey, which are not on a regular basis, are the HouseholdOperated Activities, National Migration Survey, Family Planning Survey, Maternal and Child Health Survey, etc..
