This special release presents the 2023 annual labor and employment estimates of the province of Cebu. This is generated from the quarterly Labor Force Survey (LFS) conducted during the year. The methodology and computation of the annual estimates of labor and employment indicators is based on PSA Board Resolution No. 01, Series of 2017-151 which approves and adopts the official methodology for generating annual labor and employment estimates using the average of the estimates of the four LFS quarterly rounds which were conducted in January, April, July and October 2023. Classified as one of the large provinces in the country, the labor and employment estimates are separately generated per geographic domain wherein each of the three Highly Urbanized Cities (HUCs) – Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue City – of the province is considered one domain while the rest of Cebu (Cebu) as another separate domain.
Population in the Labor Force and Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR)
In 2023, the total population of 15 years old and over for Cebu (including HUCs) was estimated at 3.7 million. Among the domains, Cebu logged the biggest share of the population at 66.0 percent or an estimated 2.44 million. This was followed by Cebu City with 17.9 percent, Lapu-Lapu City with 8.7 percent, and Mandaue City with 7.3 percent, for an estimate of 664 thousand, 324 thousand, and 272 thousand, respectively. (Table 1 and Figure 1)
Meanwhile, the LFPR for Cebu (including HUCs) was estimated at 64.9 percent or 649 in every 1,000 individuals 15 years old and over who were either employed or unemployed. This LFPR was lower than the regional LFPR of 66.3 percent but was the same as the national LFPR of 64.9 percent. This translates to 2.41 million individuals 15 years old and over in 2023.
Among domains, Mandaue City registered the highest LFPR in 2023 at 68.5 percent, an increment of 2.8 percentage points from 65.8 percent in 2022. In terms of magnitude, this translates to 186 thousand economically active population 15 years old and over. Lapu-Lapu City followed closely at 68.1 percent, an increment of 1.8 percentage points from 66.3 percent in 2022. The 2023 LFPR of Cebu of 64.8 percent and Cebu City of 62.6 percent were lower than the LFPR in 2022 at 65.5 percent and 65.4 percent, respectively. (Table 1 and Figure 2)
Employment
Among the domains, Mandaue City registered the highest employment rate of 96.6 percent or about 180 thousand employed persons out of 186 thousand persons in the labor force. This was followed by Cebu, Lapu-Lapu City, and Cebu City with 96.4 percent, 95.8 percent, and 94.7 percent, respectively. All domains posted an increase in employment rate in 2023 compared to 2022. (Table 2 and Figure 3)
Unemployment
With an increase in the employment rate across all domains in 2023, the unemployment rate substantially decreased. Among domains, Lapu-Lapu City registered the highest decline of 4.7 percentage points from the 8.9 percent unemployment rate in 2022 to 4.2 percent in 2023. Cebu City and Mandaue City had a 2.3 percentage points decrease in unemployment rate from 7.6 percent in 2022 to 5.3 percent in 2023 and 5.7 percent in 2022 to 3.4 percent in 2023, respectively. Meanwhile, Cebu had the lowest decrease in percentage points from 4.9 percent in 2022 to 3.6 percent in 2023. (Table 3 and Figure 4)
Underemployment
Employed persons who express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job, to have an additional job, or to have a new job with longer working hours are considered underemployed.
The total number of underemployed persons in Cebu (including HUCS) was estimated at 128 thousand or 5.5 percent of the total number of employed persons in 2023. (Table 4)
A substantial decrease in underemployment was observed in 2023 with all domains having a decrease in underemployment rate. Among domains, Lapu-Lapu City registered the lowest underemployment rate of 3.1 percent, 19.5 percentage points lower than the 22.6 percent in 2022. This means that 310 in every 1000 employed persons in the city considered themselves underemployed. This was followed by Cebu City with 4.8 underemployment rate, 7.1 percentage points lower than the 11.9 percent in 2022. Cebu and Mandaue City had underemployment rates of 5.7 percent and 8.5 percent, both of which were lower by 7.2 and 12.2 percentage points compared to 12.9 percent and 20.7 percent in 2022, respectively. (Table 4 and Figure 5)
MELCHOR B. BAUTISTA
Chief Statistical Specialist
MAN/LGCS