Exports of the country’s 217 operating economic zones went up 42.98 percent to $16.371 billion in the January-May period this year from $11.450 billion in the same period last year buoyed by a strong global demand for electronics products.

Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) director-general Lilia B. De Lima said the steady growth in exports is a strong indication of a genuine global economic recovery. Despite the surge in exports, PEZA has still maintained its 10 percent export growth target this year over last year.

In a report to Trade and Industry Secretary Jesli A. Lapus, who is also PEZA chairman, De Lima said that exports from the four public economic zones went up 50.643 percent to $3.347 billion from $2.222 billion in the same first five months last year.

The private ecozones exported a total of $11.349 billion or 44.809 percent higher than $7.837 billion registered last year. Exports from IT parks and buildings improved by 20.456 percent to $1.675 billion from $1.39 billion last year. In terms of employment, PEZA reported an overall increase of 19.252 percent in job hirings as cumulative jobs figure already reached 681,367 as of May this year from 571,363 as of May last year. PEZA is aiming for a 10 percent increase in employment this year over  2009.

The public ecozones employ 124,495 people or 3.174 percent higher than 120,665, the private ecozones up by 21 percent to 315,300 from 260,568 while the IT parks and buildings are up by 27.056 to 241,572 from 190,130 last year.

Among the ecozones, the biggest exporter is Laguna Technopark Special Economic Zone with $2.928 billion because it hosts the most number of electronics firms. The second biggest exporter is the government-owned Baguio Export Processing Zone with $1.641 billion largely because of its single biggest exporter, TI Philippines.