Almost 3K workers in WV lost jobs due to COVID-19 crisis

Nearly 3,000 workers in Western Visayas have lost their jobs amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-6).

As of Aug. 19, a total of 2,922 workers from 359 business establishments were displaced due to permanent closures and retrenchments.

The province and city of Iloilo accounted for the highest number of businesses that shut down, followed by Negros Occidental, and Aklan.

Niezel Sabrido, DOLE-6 spokesperson, noted that majority of the affected businesses belong to tourism-related sectors.

“Kalabanan mga hotels kag restuarants. May ara man nabelong sa information and communication, manufacturing, and wholesale and retail trade industries,” she said.

To halt the further spread of the virus, local government units (LGUs) and government agencies have been imposing since mid-March measures that regulate the movement of people, operations of public transport vehicles and businesses.

Last April, the region’s employment rate went up by 13.7 percent, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA-6) showed.IMT