Balancing Act: Underemployment Patterns and Age-Gender Diversity in Northern Mindanao

Abstract

Underemployment continues to persist at a significantly higher rate than unemployment. Over half of the working population in Northern Mindanao falls into the category of visible underemployment, indicating that they work fewer hours than the standard work duration and are actively seeking additional work hours (Felipe & Estrada, 2018). This research aimed to comprehend the various forms of underemployment among Filipino workers in Northern Mindanao and assess the reasons for their underemployment status. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed in this study, which analyzed data from the July 2021 Labor Force Survey (LFS) involving 31,271 workers in the region to determine the relationship between underemployment of workers and their age and sex. The study’s timeframe corresponded to the post-pandemic period, during which the region underwent economic reopening to establish resilience and facilitate the transition to recovery. The findings revealed that 74.90% of the respondents were visibly underemployed, while only 25.10% were classified as invisibly underemployed. Notably, the leading reason for underemployed workers working fewer than 40 hours was the variability in working time or the nature of their work (43.71%). Conversely, underemployed workers primarily sought more than 40 hours to increase their earnings (64.77%). Moreover, the findings revealed that age and sex have significant relationships to underemployment regardless of type, and workers of any age and sex experienced being underemployed.