In 2023, there were 80 thousand unemployed persons out of the 2.10 million persons in the labor force of Eastern Visayas.  This translates to an unemployment rate of 3.8 percent,  which was 1.1 percentage points lower than the 4.9 percent unemployment rate in 2022 and the lowest since 2020 when the region posted 8.0 percent unemployment rate (Figure 1).

Among the provinces in Eastern Visayas, Samar registered the highest unemployment rate in 2023 at 5.4 percent, which was equivalent to 18 thousand unemployed persons out of the 336 persons in the labor force of the province in 2023.   The second highest unemployment rate was noted in Southern Leyte at 5.0 percent, followed by Leyte at 3.7 percent, Eastern Samar at 3.6 percent, and Biliran at 3.5 percent unemployment rate.  Northern Samar posted the lowest unemployment rate at 1.8 percent.  Meanwhile, Tacloban City posted 3.2 percent unemployment rate in 2023 (Figure 2).

Eastern Visayas registered a Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of 63.9 percent in 2023. This was 1.2 percentage points lower than the 62.7 percent LFPR reported in 2022.  The 63.9 percent LFPR corresponds to around 2.10 million persons who were in the labor force out of the 3.29 million persons 15 years old and over in 2023.

Of the six (6) provinces in the region, Northern Samar registered the highest LFPR in 2023 at 68.7 percent, corresponding to 304 thousand persons who were in the labor force out of the 443 thousand persons 15 years old and over in the province. Biliran had the second highest LFPR at 67.2 percent, followed by Southern Leyte at 64.3 percent, Leyte at 63.6 percent, and Eastern Samar at 61.3 percent. Samar posted the lowest LFPR at 60.9 percent. Tacloban City, the lone Highly Urbanized City (HUC) in the region, posted 64.3 percent LFPR in 2023 (Figure 3).

There were 2.02 million employed persons out of the 2.10 million persons in the labor force in 2023.  This placed the region’s employment rate at 96.2 percent, which improved by 1.1 percentage points compared with the 95.1 percent employment rate in 2022.  This was also the highest employment rate since 2020 when the region posted 92.0 percent employment rate.

Among provinces in the region, Northern Samar posted the highest employment rate in Eastern Visayas in 2023 at 98.2 percent, which was equivalent to 299 thousand persons considered employed out of the 304 thousand persons in the labor force of the province.  The second highest employment rate was reported in Biliran at 96.5 percent, followed by Eastern Samar at 96.4 percent, Leyte at 96.3 percent, and Southern Leyte at 95.0 percent.  Samar reported the lowest employment rate at 94.6 percent.  Tacloban City recorded 96.8 percent employment rate during the year in review (Figure 4).

Underemployed population is the proportion of employed population who expresses the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job, or an additional job, or to have a new job with longer working hours. Eastern Visayas recorded a 17.3 percent underemployment rate in 2023.  This means that there were 350 thousand underemployed persons out of the 2.02 million employed persons in 2023.  The region’s underemployment rate has been fluctuating in the past three-year period at 20.1 percent (2020), 20.9 percent (2021), and 16.0 percent (2022).

All provinces in the region, except Northern Samar, reported double-digit underemployment rates in 2023. Southern Leyte registered the highest underemployment rate at 28.9 percent, followed by Biliran at 28.1 percent, Samar at 22.1 percent, Eastern Samar at 17.4 percent, and Leyte at 16.0 percent.  Northern Samar posted the lowest underemployment rate at 7.7 percent. Tacloban City posted 11.4 percent underemployment rate in 2023 (Figure 5).

SGD. WILMA A. PERANTE 
Regional Director