Thousands of farmers and fishermen have lost their jobs during the recent onslaught of El Niño, which leveled the agricultural, fishery and forestry labor sector by 6.5 percent, or about 802,000 jobs, the latest Labor Force Survey of the National Statistics Office (NSO) said.

Those regions which were drastically affected by El Nino and posted a decrease in employment growth are: Regions 2 (-93,000); Region 6 (-23,000); Region 7 (-23,000), Region 8 (-33,000), Region 11 (-19,000); Caraga (-15,000). Regions 9 and Region 12 had no employment growth.

While it posted a slight increase, it has been a lean year for the country’s total labor force which only grew by 1.8 percent (+684,000) compared to last year’s robust 3.8 percent (+1.374 million) growth.

Employed persons also posted only a 1.2 percent (+414,000) increase, while unemployed person rose by 0.5 percent (+270,000) increase due to the effects of El Niño.

But despite the surveys negative aspects, it also gleaned notable improvements in the labor sector.

The lost of the jobs from the agricultural, fishery and forestry were canceled by the increase in the industrial and service sector, which posted a 7.8 percent and 4.7 percent increase, respectively.

The largest growth came form the service sector which produced 822,000 new jobs from whole sale and retail trade, public administration and defense, compulsory social security, and transport, storage, and communications.

Meanwhile, industrial sector produced about 396,000 jobs from the manufacturing, construction, mining and quarrying, and electricity, gas, and water.

Regions which posted the highest employment increase are the following: National Capital Region (+187,000); Region 7 (+153,000); Region 4-A (+92,000).

Aside from the additional opportunities from the two sectors, there was increase in the population of full-time employed workers by 9.5 percent (+1.892 million).