Employment productivity and wages in the Philippine labor market : an analysis of trends and policies

The present government's concern is aimed towards poverty alleviation, productive employment generation, income redistribution and sustained economic growth. Given these development goals, issues concerning employment, wages and productivity which have gained prominence through the years should be dealt with. Rising levels of unemployment and underemployment along with declining productivity and real wages continue to plague the economy. Likewise, the balance of payments problems and the increasing indebtedness further aggravate the worsening economic condition. These major problems began to attract much attention for there arose dissatisfaction among the populace with the upsurge in the incidence of poverty and the occurrence of other related problems. With the task of finding solutions to these problems, the government implemented policies and initiated a structural reform program. The purpose of the .present study is twofold. First, the nature of the abovementioned problems is studied by looking at the labor market conditions. Specifically, an analysis of the trends in employment, wages and productivity, and a comprehensive historical account of how policies and policy changes affected them directly and indirectly, are presented. Moreover, the impacts of policies adopted by the government in the 1980s on employment, wages and productivity are assessed qualitatively. Policy recommendations are drawn based on the findings of the study. Secondly, the employment impact of the various structural adjustment measures adopted in the 1980s is re-examined within a general equilibrium framework. Specifically, the study provides estimates of the employment and wage effects of the structural adjustment program based on simulation experiments using the PIDS-NEDA (1987 version) macroeconometric models and Habito's (1986) computable general equilibrium model of the Philippine economy. Based on these, policy recommendations and new directions for future research in the area are provided. Part I of this study discusses the recent trends in employment, unemployment, underemployment, wages and productivity. It was observed that employment has generally increased over the period 1970-87 with a few years exhibiting slight declines. It was also observed that more than 50 percent of total employment was engaged in agriculture while the share of agriculture to total employment showed an apparent tendency to decline. The structural shift has been from agriculture to services, instead of agriculture to industrial sector. Unemployment rates in the country were high especially during the 1980s. Likewise, underemployment rates were also rapidly rising. Labor productivity roughly measured by output per worker has increased from 1961 to 1980 but declined thereafter until 1986 afterwhich a slight increase was observed in 1987. Nominal agricultural and nonagricultural wages has been increasing through the years. However, real wages in both sectors declined. A review of the past and present policies showed that the industrialization policies implemented during the post-war period generally increased output and investments but their inherent capital bias resulted in the low rate of labor absorption. The manufacturing sector failed to generate enough jobs necessary to absorb the increasing labor force. This was due to factors like the limitations in the domestic market for output of import substituting firms, and the misallocation of investible funds to high cost industries as a result of incentives and short-sighted labor legislation which raised labor costs and discouraged employment. In addition , the adoption of an outward-looking strategy like export promotion is hindered by the lack of reciprocal response in the international setting due to increasing protectionism and stagnation among developed economies. In search for policies which can increase labor absorption, the following points were made based on the analysis. First, what is called for is a system of taxation and protection which is nonfactor price distortive. Secondly, economic growth and employment generation can be accelerated with a firmer commitment on the part of the authorities in implementing the structural reforms. And lastly, the outward-looking strategy is worth pursuing giving emphasis to light manufacturing industries which showed resiliency to the impact of the economic crisis as evidenced by its ability to maintain relatively high levels of sales and small levels of labor displacement during the crisis years. Part II provides a quantitative assessment of the impact of structural adjustment measures on employment and wages. Using the PIDS-NEDA macroeconometric models, three counterfactual experiment related to structural adjustment policy reform were conducted to appraise their employment effect for 1980 to 1990. Firstly, simulation results showed that the tariff reform program (TRP) has a positive effect on output, employment, exports and prices. Secondly, removal of export taxes on all products except logs in 1986 has a small positive effect on output and total employment except in 1989 and 1990. The policy has favorable influence on current account balance by effecting an increase in exports. Thirdly, an evaluation of the financial liberalization program using the PIDS-NEDA model was found not to be feasible given the shortcomings of the present version of the model. Using Habito's computable general equilibrium model, two simulations were. done. First, the estimates showed that TRP increased total output and average wage implying positive effect on the labor market. The policy increased the relative price of nontradables while it decreased relatively price of importables. It also decreased average wage in agriculture and manufacturing while it increased that of nontradables. TRP was found to favor middle income groups. Second, BOI incentives decreased total output, average wage and total employment. It has a regressive impact on real income across household group. The shift to a flexible exchange' rate regime has a positive effect on output and prices. Labor is reallocated into export and import substituting sector away from nontradables

Practical study of optical stellar interferometry

In this work we present an observational technique and a detailed analysis of the stellar interferograms produced by three bright stars: Betelgeuse, Rigel and Sirius. It is shown that the atmospheric turbulence is responsible for the reduction of the long-exposure fringe visibility of the obtained interference patterns. By using different baselines in our interferometer, we are able to distinguish the decay of the visibility with the baseline, how different parameters such us the diameter of the holes in our interferometer or their distribution affects the pattern, and to measure the turbulence with the estimation of the Fried parameter r0. The work and methodology are presented as a method for postgraduate students that targets practical learning of optical interferometry in astronomy and how it is affected by several causes, such as the atmospheric turbulence.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, paper submitted and accepted to AJ

An Assessment of Labor and Employment Policies in the Philippines, 1986-1988

In an attempt to examine the labor and employment policies of the Aquino Administration, this paper assesses the direction of future labor and employment policies by investigating the relevant bills filed in both houses of Congress. It also identifies areas in need of reforms.labor force, labor market, employment opportunities

Employment, Productivity and Wages in the Philippine Labor market: An Analysis of Trends and Policies

This paper aims to present in a coherent systematic manner the Philippine labor market condition, in terms of employment, unemployment, wages, productivity and related issues. Historical data are presented to reflect the economic conditions and the policy environment that characterized the period under study starting in the 1960s. It analyzes the factors behind the structure of employment as well as the changing trends in productivity and wages.productivity, labor market, employment opportunities, wage rates

Identification and characterization of microRNAs in Phaseolus vulgaris by high-throughput sequencing

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenously encoded small RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. MiRNAs play essential roles in almost all plant biological processes. Currently, few miRNAs have been identified in the model food legume <it>Phaseolus vulgaris </it>(common bean). Recent advances in next generation sequencing technologies have allowed the identification of conserved and novel miRNAs in many plant species. Here, we used Illumina's sequencing by synthesis (SBS) technology to identify and characterize the miRNA population of <it>Phaseolus vulgaris</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Small RNA libraries were generated from roots, flowers, leaves, and seedlings of <it>P. vulgaris</it>. Based on similarity to previously reported plant miRNAs,114 miRNAs belonging to 33 conserved miRNA families were identified. Stem-loop precursors and target gene sequences for several conserved common bean miRNAs were determined from publicly available databases. Less conserved miRNA families and species-specific common bean miRNA isoforms were also characterized. Moreover, novel miRNAs based on the small RNAs were found and their potential precursors were predicted. In addition, new target candidates for novel and conserved miRNAs were proposed. Finally, we studied organ-specific miRNA family expression levels through miRNA read frequencies.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This work represents the first massive-scale RNA sequencing study performed in <it>Phaseolus vulgaris </it>to identify and characterize its miRNA population. It significantly increases the number of miRNAs, precursors, and targets identified in this agronomically important species. The miRNA expression analysis provides a foundation for understanding common bean miRNA organ-specific expression patterns. The present study offers an expanded picture of <it>P. vulgaris </it>miRNAs in relation to those of other legumes.</p

Detection and genotyping of HPV DNA in a group of unvaccinated young women from Colombia : baseline measures prior to future monitoring program

Q2Q1In 2012, Colombia launched human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program for girls ages 9 to 12, and in 2013, the target age was expanded to 9 to 17 years. Monitoring the changes of HPV infection prevalence among young women has been proposed as an endpoint for early assessment of HPV vaccination programs. However, the data on HPV prevalence in young ages are very limited. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of HPV infection and the distribution of genotypes in a group of nonvaccinated women ages 18 to 25 years old in three Colombian cities as baseline for the monitoring of the HPV national vaccination program. A total of 1,782 sexually active women were included. Cervical smear samples were collected to perform the Pap smear and HPV DNA detection using a Linear Array HPV assay. Of the 1,782 specimens analyzed, 60.3% were positive for any HPV type; 42.2% were positive for highrisk HPV (HR-HVP) types, and 44.4% for low-risk HPV (LR-HPV) types. Multiple and single infections were identified in 37.1% and 23.2% of samples, respectively. HR-HPV types -16, -52, and -51 were the most predominant with proportions of 11.3%, 7.92%, and 7.9%, correspondingly. The prevalence for HR-HPV 16/18 was 14.4%. HR-HPV prevalence in women with abnormal cytology (75.16%) was higher than in women with normal cytology (38.6%). In conclusion, a high prevalence of HR-HPV was observed among younger women. This HPV typespecific prevalence baseline may be used to monitor postvaccination longitudinal changes and to determine its impact on HPV-related disease incidence in Colombia population.https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0610-6477https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7187-9946https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3373-1809https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6295-7316Revista Internacional - Indexad

CCR5 deficiency predisposes to fatal outcome in influenza virus infection

Influenza epidemics affect all age groups, although children, the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions are the most severely affected. Whereas co-morbidities are present in 50% of fatal cases, 25-50% of deaths are in apparently healthy individuals. This suggests underlying genetic determinants that govern infection severity. Although some viral factors that contribute to influenza disease are known, the role of host genetic factors remains undetermined. Data for small cohorts of influenza-infected patients are contradictory regarding the potential role of chemokine receptor 5 deficiency (CCR5-Δ32 mutation, a 32 bp deletion in the CCR5 gene) in the outcome of influenza virus infection. We tested 171 respiratory samples from influenza patients (2009 pandemic) for CCR5-Δ32 and evaluated its correlation with patient mortality. CCR5-Δ32 patients (17.4%) showed a higher mortality rate than WT individuals (4.7%; P = 0.021), which indicates that CCR5-Δ32 patients are at higher risk than the normal population of a fatal outcome in influenza infection.This work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Programa especial de investigación sobre la gripe pandémica GR09/0040 and GR09/0023), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES) and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (BFU 2011-26175)S