unemployment – Author Carlo Carrasco

HSBC Says Philippines Should Focus On Strengthening Services Sector

September 18, 2025September 10, 2025carlocarrasco

As far as HSBC is concerned, the Philippines would be better off strengthening its services sector instead of playing catch up with manufacturing, according to a business article published by the Manila Bulletin.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the business article of Manila Bulletin. Some parts in boldface…

The Philippines should leverage its services sector to stand out in the global investment landscape, as competition with manufacturing-led economies is well out of reach, according to an HSBC economist.

The country has been lagging behind its peers in Southeast Asia in terms of attracting foreign investments.

Last year, the Philippines secured the sixth spot in the region, trailing behind Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, according to the report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

This trend is expected to continue this year amid uncertainties in global trade and especially due to the country’s relatively low manufacturing activity.

HSBC Asia Economics Associate Director Ines Lam said the limited scale of the manufacturing sector in the Philippines hinders its ability to draw foreign capital.

Lam explained that attempting to be competitive in manufacturing at this late stage could ultimately be ineffective and counter to the government’s efforts to secure investments.

“Everyone wants to get a piece of the global supply chain. Everyone wants to be a supplier to Apple. But for the Philippines, I think the Philippines’ unique value proposition is its people and soft skills,” she said during the 23rd International CEO Conference hosted by the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP).

Instead of trying to catch up in manufacturing, Lam said the country could instead shift its focus to strengthening its services sector, in which it has an advantage compared to regional partners.

The economist said upskilling the country’s talented pool of workers is a critical component in boosting the sector. She noted that the educational proficiency and English expertise of Filipino workers are the top qualities sought by global employers and investors.

“I’m not saying that manufacturing is not important, but because the Philippines has already found its advantage, I think it’s important that the Philippines does not lose this,” said Lam.

“You provide something new and you improve your offerings in terms of BPO (business process outsourcing) and exports of services. Then, that will help the Philippines to stand out in this world,” she added.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to the recent developments? Do you agree with HSBC’s economic opinion about the Philippines? Do you think the Philippines should focus more on strengthening the services sector instead of manufacturing? What do you think makes the Philippines not so good at manufacturing when compared with its Asian neighbors?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Philippines Unemployment Rate Hits 5.3% in July 2025

September 17, 2025September 10, 2025carlocarrasco

As controversy about flood control projects continues to dominate the news cycles, more Filipinos reported themselves as unemployed this past July as the unemployment rate jumped to 5.3%, according to a GMA Network business news report.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the business news report of GMA. Some parts in boldface…

The number of Filipinos without jobs or livelihoods increased in July 2025 due to weather disturbances which affected various sectors of the labor market during the period, according to the results of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s latest Labor Force Survey.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, PSA chief and National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa reported that unemployed persons, ages 15 and above, rose to 2.59 million from 1.95 million in June 2025. This was also higher than the 2.38 million jobless in July 2024.

As a percentage of 48.64 million participants in the labor force who are actively looking for labor opportunities during the period, the number of jobless persons translated to an unemployment rate of 5.3%, up from 3.7% month-on-month.

This means 53 in 1,000 individuals do not have jobs or livelihoods during the period. This was also the highest unemployment since August 2022’s 5.3%.

Labor force participation in July 2025 declined from 52.42 million in June 2025 and 50.06 million in July 2024.

Likewise, employed persons, or those with jobs and livelihoods, during the period contracted to 46.05 million from 50.47 million in June 2025 and 47.68 million in July 2024.

As a percentage of labor force participants, the employment rate stood at 94.7%, lower than the 96.3% seen in June 2025 and 95.3% in July 2024.

Mapa attributed the increase in unemployed persons and decreases in both employed and labor force participation to the series of storms which hit the country during the month.

“Una talaga ang nangyari dito sa July round is first tinamaan ang ating bansa, maraming areas ng typhoons. Ito talaga ‘yung nakita namin na main reason kung bakit bumababa ang labor force participation at employment na rin,” the PSA chief said.

(First, what we saw during the July round is that many areas of the country were hit by typhoons. This was really the main reason why the labor force participation and employment numbers declined.)

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to the recent developments? Do you think the unemployment rate of the Philippines will remain above 5% until the end of the year?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Philippines Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Sector and Government React To Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025

August 28, 2025August 27, 2025carlocarrasco

It is not surprising that both the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector of the Philippines and the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) reacted to the filing of the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025 which was filed in the United States Senate, as reported separately by BusinessWorld, BusinessMirror and the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

For the newcomers reading this, the Philippines BPO sector (sometimes referred to simply as the call center industry even though many local firms have gone beyond taking calls) is now a major part of the national economy with more than 1.7 million Filipinos employed, $35 billion in annual export revenues and the United States of America (USA) alone is the single largest market with 2024 export revenues reported at $25 billion (reported by BusinessMirror).

In the Filipino perspective, call centers are very important because they offer a lot of high-paying jobs for Filipinos who badly need employment. The so-called call center effect on local society and economics includes new stores and food vendors opening up nearby, the opening of new convenience stores operating 24/7, the established restaurants nearby serving customers around-the-clock, and the opening of new branches of banks. Of course, the income Filipinos earned from their BPO jobs enabled them to acquire new things, pay their bills, subscribed to digital services, and move into better residences while helping their families make ends meet.

Having been a call center agent myself a very long time ago, I have witnessed such socio-economic developments happen whenever a call center is present and I was in Cebu province.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news article of the PNA highlighting the reaction of the DTI. Some parts in boldface…

Diversification will help cushion the possible impact of the proposed “Keep Call Centers in America Act,” aimed to protect local jobs by removing federal grants to companies that have call centers outside the United States.

The business process outsourcing (BPO) industry contributes a big part to the Philippine economy, with employment of around 1.4 million in 2024 and revenues of about USD38 billion. Around 70 percent of clients are based in the US.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Cristina Roque said there are no discussions yet with officials of the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) but expressed openness to talk about possible measures to help the sector.

“But for us, (the) DTI, of course, we’ll continue to help the IT-BPO (and) IBPAP businesses in whatever they need from us. Of course, we’ll assist the same way we’ve assisted in the past,” she said.

“We can’t just look at the US as the only market. The world is the market. If you look at their population as compared to the world, it will show you that we should really find other avenues to explore.”

Next, the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) confirmed it is still evaluating the potential impact of the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025. For insight, posted below is an excerpt from the BusinessWorld report. Some parts in boldface…

THE IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) said it is still evaluating the potential impact of the proposed Keep Call Centers in America act.

“It talks about US call centers so I really do not know who that will affect with the way that it is worded,” IBPAP President and Chief Executive Officer Jonathan R. Madrid said on the sidelines of an ECCP AI Forum.

“We need to understand it a little bit more. I think I know what their intention is. But I don’t know the likelihood of this passing. Obviously it is something we are monitoring, and with the way that it is worded, we need to study it more,” he added.

Introduced in the US Senate last month, the bill aims to impose restrictions on US firms outsourcing their call center operations.

In particular, the bill, if signed into law, will render employers outsource call center work overseas ineligible for new federal grants or guaranteed loans.

“I am speaking to the American Chamber of Commerce; we are discussing it and we will see. But we are all aligned on how we will manage this,” he said.

“While the bill is still in the early stages of the legislative process, we remain committed to keeping our stakeholders informed, providing timely guidance, and ensuring that the Philippine IT-BPM industry is well-positioned to adapt and thrive in a changing regulatory environment,” he said.

Philippine Institute for Development Studies Senior Research Fellow John Paolo R. Rivera said that the proposed bill poses a “clear risk to the Philippine IT-BPM industry, especially in the call center segment.”

“By restricting access to US federal grants, contracts, and loans for companies that offshore customer service jobs or do not properly disclose them, the bill raises the regulatory and reputational costs for offshore operations,” he said via Viber .

He said the Philippine industry has been evolving beyond voice-based call centers, which are less exposed to call center-specific legislation.

“We now see strong growth in high-value services such as finance, healthcare information management, legal process outsourcing, software development, and data analytics,” he said.

With the US Senate’s proposal to bring back call centers to the US, he said that the Philippines must continue to move up the value chain to reduce exposure to such policies.

“While the bill underscores vulnerabilities in our call center export model, it also reinforces the importance of accelerating investment in high-value, tech-enabled services where the Philippines can maintain global competitiveness,” he added.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said the bill could be “a potential drag on future growth of the industry.”

For this year, the IT-BPM industry is expected to generate $40 billion in export revenue and increase its workforce to 1.9 million.

To examine the details of the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025, click here and here.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to the recent developments? Do you think the IT-BPM sector of the Philippines has what it takes to protect itself from whatever effects the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025 could create if ever it gets signed into law? Do you personally know anyone who is working in a BPO firm or a call center here in the Philippines? What kind of assistance do you think the national government will offer to the IT-BPM sector? Do you think the existing call centers should search for English-speaking clients in England, Ireland, Scotland, Israel and the like?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025 Causes Disturbance on Philippines Information Technology and Business Process Sector

August 21, 2025August 12, 2025carlocarrasco

More than twenty years ago, I had a job at an American call center in Mandaue City, Cebu Province here in the Philippines. Back then, the call center industry of the nation was very young and yet quickly growing in terms of revenues, new foreign investments and new jobs. Today, the Philippines has a large information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) sector.

That being said, America today is quickly reforming under the leadership of President Donald Trump and already business ties and trade relationships have quickly been changing. In the United States Senate (US Senate), a bipartisan bill was formally filed – the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025.

Already, the proposal is already disturbing the information technology and business process management sector of the Philippines as revealed by the Manila Bulletin in its business news report.

To make things clear, I am not taking sides here. I am a citizen of the Philippines who worked for a few months in an American call center a very long time ago and at my age, I have no intention to return to call center work. I am already engaging in a new business that has nothing to do with call centers and business process management. As for how America’s leaders deal with call centers and business processing centers located in different parts of the world, that is their decision to make. It would be interesting, perhaps intriguing, to see how the Philippines IT-BPM sector will adjust if ever the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025 becomes a law someday.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of the Manila Bulletin. Some parts in boldface…

The Philippine information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) sector is bracing for the potential impact of a bill in the United States (US) Senate that seeks to end the practice of offshoring among American call centers.

The IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), the country’s leading IT-BPM group, said the industry is currently monitoring the progress of this proposed legislation.

“At this stage, we are continuing to track developments,” IBPAP told Manila Bulletin.

The proposed Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025, filed as a bipartisan bill in the US Senate, is aiming to curb offshoring or relocation of business operations from one country to another as it pertains to call center jobs.

In a statement by Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, he said the bill looks to reverse the continued decline of call center operations in America, driven by the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) offshoring.

Citing data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Gallego noted that the American call center industry will lose approximately 150,000 workers by 2033 if such practices persist.

“The Keep Call Centers in America Act would work to reverse this trend by limiting federal benefits to companies that ship call center jobs overseas,” said Gallego, who filed the bill with West Virginia Senator Jim Justice, a Republican.

Under the proposed bill, companies are required to notify the US Department of Labor (DOL) at least 120 days before relocating operations overseas or contracting out call center work to another entity that relocates abroad.

The DOL, meanwhile, will be mandated to maintain a public list of employers that have relocated operations. Companies will remain on the list for five years “unless they return an equal or greater number of call center jobs in the US.”

Call center firms on this list will be ineligible for new federal grants and guaranteed loans and will not be given preference when awarding contracts.

In a CBS News report, Gallego said that aside from supporting the return of domestic jobs, the bill will likewise address consumer concerns when it comes to “security around their private information.”

The bill, if enacted, will cover businesses with either 50 or more full-time employees, or 50 or more employees whose combined work hours total at least 1,500 per week. As such, the measure will impact large-scale call center operations such as those that are currently operating in the Philippines.

Based on a 2023 report by the Ateneo Policy Center, more than 200 US-based firms have invested approximately $7.8 billion to set up operations in the Philippines since 2003.

The proposed Keep Call Centers in America Act could not have come at a worse time, given that the Philippines’ services exports are slowing down.

In a report, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) lead economist Emilio Neri Jr. noted that services exports shrank by 4.2 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2025, citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). This followed a 6.3-percent growth rate in the first quarter, which decelerated from a 13.2-percent expansion in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Neri said the services export sector is weighed down by a sharp drop in travel and signs of weakness in the IT-BPM sector.

To examine the details of the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025, click here and here.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you know a lot of people here in the Philippines who work in American call centers? Do you seriously believe that if ever the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025 becomes a law, it will someday compel American companies to close down its call centers here in the Philippines and create a wave of new job losses? Without American companies and clients, do you think the Philippines IT-BPM sector will shrink dramatically? Do you think the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025 will be passed by US Congress and get signed into law by US President Trump?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Jobless Filipinos reach almost 2 million in June 2025

August 14, 2025August 6, 2025carlocarrasco

The number of jobless Filipinos swelled largely to almost two million this past June when compared to a year prior, according to a Manila Bulletin news report. Among the factors were the job losses in the gambling and betting sector, the construction sector and in 3 other sectors.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of the Manila Bulletin. Some parts in boldface…

Coupled with an increase in unpaid workers, the number of jobless Filipinos swelled by more than 300,000 to 1.95 million in June from 1.62 million a year ago, with the online gambling sector partly contributing to the pool of unemployed.

Preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that job losses in June translated to a higher unemployment rate of 3.7 percent from 3.1 percent in the same month last year.

“Gambling and betting activities contributed to the drop in arts, entertainment, and recreation, along with other amusement and recreation activities,” Deputy National Statistician and PSA Assistant Secretary Divina Gracia L. Del Prado said during a press briefing on Wednesday, Aug. 6.

Del Prado reported that the gambling and betting subsector shed nearly 210,000 workers, stressing that this had the largest share in the decrease of employees in arts, entertainment, and recreation.

Other than arts, entertainment, and recreation, the four other sectors that were major contributors to June’s job losses were construction (-692,000), agriculture and forestry (-580,000), manufacturing (-424,000), and mining and quarrying (-96,000).

Conversely, the employment rate dropped to 96.3 percent in June from 96.9 percent from June last year. In terms of numbers, employed Filipinos stood at 50.47 million, nearly 200,000 individuals higher than 50.28 million a year ago.

Data from the PSA showed that the services sector accounted for the largest share of jobs during the month at 61.4 percent, followed by agriculture with 20.9 percent, and industry with 17.7 percent.

Fishing and aquaculture posted the highest gains in June, with an additional 512,000 employed. Wholesale and retail trade, and vehicle repair recorded the second largest gain of 375,000.

Completing the subsectors with largest increases were financial and insurance activities (327,000), transport and storage (211,000), and health and social work (179,000).

“What we’re seeing now isn’t very encouraging. If you look at the increase by class of worker, a large portion came from unpaid workers—actually, 296,000. Employers increased by 80,000, and self-employed by 75,000,” Del Prado said.

“But the more [impacted] group is the unpaid workers, since that’s where the increase happened—and that’s not the kind of growth we want. The rise should have been in wage and salary earners, so this isn’t a very good result,” Del Prado further said.

Del Prado noted that wholesale and retail trade saw a significant increase, with unpaid workers in this sector bloated by nearly 150,000. Fishing and aquaculture also added 102,000 unpaid jobs.

“Employment in both sectors increased, but a large part of that growth was in unpaid work. This suggests we still need to improve the quality of jobs. And if you also notice the trend in underemployment, it has barely dropped to single digits—only once so far.”

“So we still need to improve job quality. While our employment rate has been rising over time, I think we need to focus more on improving the quality of work, because the underemployment rate shows that it hasn’t improved yet,” she urged.

According to Del Prado, underemployment last fell to single digits in May 2024 at 9.9 percent but has remained in double digits since then. Underemployment in June lowered to 11.4 percent from 12.1 percent a year ago.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? What do you think needs to be done in order to improve job quality? Are a lot of people in your local community considered unemployed or underemployed? Do you think the current growth of the national economy will create a significant number of new jobs before the year ends?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Philippine Economy Grew by 5.5% in 2nd Quarter of 2025

August 9, 2025August 7, 2025carlocarrasco

The economy of the Philippines expanded by 5.5% during the 2^nd quarter of 2025, according to a GMA Network news report. Among the factors are strong 2^nd quarter gains by the agriculture, forestry, fishing, industry and services sectors.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of the GMA News. Some parts in boldface…

The Philippine economy grew marginally quarter-on-quarter in the second quarter of 2025 amid the growth seen in services, agriculture, and industry sectors, and posted a deceleration from the same period last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) — the value of goods and services produced in a period — grew slightly faster by 5.5% in the April to June 2025 compared to the 5.4% growth seen in the January to March 2025 period, PSA chief and National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa reported at a press conference in Quezon City on Thursday.

The second quarter GDP growth was the fastest in four quarters, however, it was still slower than the 6.5% growth rate in the same period in 2024.

All major economic sectors posted annual growth during the quarter — agriculture, forestry, and fishing with 7.0%, industry with 2.1%, and services with 6.9%.

The PSA attributed the year-on-year growth to wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles with 5.1%; public administration and defense, and compulsory social security with 12.8%; and financial and insurance activities with 5.6%.

Fixed capital investments climbed 2.6%, led by private construction which grew 11.2%, and investments in durable equipment up 10.6%.

Government spending posted an 8.7% growth rate during the quarter, slower than the 18.7% seen in the first quarter, which Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan attributed to the election spending ban.

“We expect to maintain that momentum in the spending side. I think that the next half, the second half of the year, you should see improvements in the construction, public construction spending,” he said in a briefing.

While the election spending ban hit government spending, officials said the campaigns boosted household spending which grew by 9.5%, faster than the 5.29% in the previous quarter, and the 5.4% in the second quarter of 2024.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the economy of the Philippines will be able to accelerate to achieve 6% gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the entire year?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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ADB sees Philippine economy growing by 5.6% this year

August 1, 2025July 24, 2025carlocarrasco

By pointing to a variety of factors, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently announced that the economy of the Philippines will grow by 5.6% this year, according to a news article by the Philippine News Agency (PNA). The ADB recently released its latest economy report.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the first PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…

The Philippines is expected to post the second highest economic growth in Southeast Asia this year despite the downgrade in growth outlook due to external headwinds, a report released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) showed.

In its Asian Development Outlook July 2025 report released on Wednesday, the ADB said Philippine economic growth is expected to settle at 5.6 percent this year.

The growth outlook for the Philippines is the second highest in Southeast Asia, next to Vietnam’s 6.3 percent. Indonesia is projected to grow by 5 percent, Malaysia by 4.3 percent, Singapore by 1.6 percent, and Thailand by 1.8 percent.

For 2026, growth is expected to slightly pick up to 5.8 percent.

The ADB’s latest projection, however, was lower than its 6 percent for 2024 and 6.1 percent for 2025 economic growth forecast amid external headwinds. The Philippine economy grew by 5.4 percent in the first quarter of the year.

“Domestic demand grew 6.7 percent, supported by easing inflation and monetary policy. However, net exports dragged on growth as brisk imports outpaced exports,” the ADB said. It added that manufacturing index (PMI) recovered slightly to 50.7 in June from 50.1 in May.

“Consumer sentiment was positive in the near term. Unemployment was low at 3.9 percent in May, and remittance growth of 3.0 percent helped sustain household spending,” it said.

The ADB, however, said that business confidence softened amid heightened global policy uncertainties.

According to the ADB, economic forecasts for most countries in Southeast Asia have been downgraded for 2025 and 2026 due to the continuing global growth slowdown and increased trade uncertainty.

“Weaker external conditions have hurt business and consumer sentiment and threaten to disrupt investment in the subregion,” it said.

“Except for Indonesia, the largest economy in the subregion, all Southeast Asian economies are expected to post weaker growth in the next two years.”

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think it is still possible for the economy of the Philippines reach 6% GDP growth by the end of 2025?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Parañaque Congressman Yamsuan tells graduates there is nothing wrong with starting at the bottom

July 31, 2025July 24, 2025carlocarrasco

Recently in Parañaque City, the 2^nd District Representative Brian Yamsuan told the newest graduates of Parañaque City College (PCC) not to be ashamed of starting at the bottom, according to a Manila Bulletin news report. He tried to inspire many during PCC’s graduation rites.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of the Manila Bulletin. Some parts in boldface…

Don’t be ashamed of starting at the bottom.

Parañaque City 2nd district Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan gave this message to this year’s graduating batch from the Parañaque City College (PCC) as they try to transition from learners to workers.

Yamsuan recalled how in all the jobs he undertook before he became a government official–from being a fastfood restaurant worker and a taxi driver, to being a young Senate staff member doing menial tasks–he always did his best, and kept in mind that no task is too small or beneath him.

“I had the mindset that the way we do the small things says a lot about how we will handle bigger things,” Yamsuan said in his speech before the PCC Class of 2025 during the school’s recognition rites held on July 21.

“And so, when you enter the workforce and perhaps starting at the very bottom, approach every role with respect, gratitude, and the willingness to grow. Humility is the first step to becoming better. Kung magsimula kayo sa baba, huwag kayong mahiya (If you start at the bottom, don’t be ashamed of it),” he added.

Yamsuan underscored the importance of humility, compassion, and integrity in shaping the character and actions of today’s youth.

“Let humility be your foundation, to keep you grounded and always learning. Let compassion be your compass, guiding how you treat others. And let integrity be your anchor, reminding you who you are, no matter how far you go,” he said.

In a world that prioritizes speed and competition, Yamsuan told graduates to never forget the power of kindness and compassion in positively changing people’s lives and creating an impact that goes beyond profits and success.

“In whatever job you decide to do, let compassion lead you to serve others,” Yamsuan said. “In whatever field you choose to pursue, never lose sight of why you’re there: the people.”

As a public servant, Yamsuan said compassion is at the core of everything he does—from crafting laws, policies and programs to engaging directly with the people to understand their hopes and daily struggles.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What do you think about this recent development? If you are a resident of Parañaque, do you think today’s newest batch of college graduates have a lot of challenges to face as they hunt for available jobs? Do you find Congressman Yamsuan’s message to PCC graduates inspiring?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Xbox affected as Microsoft executes new round of layoffs

July 11, 2025July 6, 2025carlocarrasco

Welcome back Xbox fans, geeks, and other gamers!

It has been more than a week since Microsoft announced its latest round of layoffs affecting not only thousands of employees but also Team Xbox, its game studios and certain game projects as well.

To be clear, this is not the first time Microsoft had layoffs this year but it is much more significant because the latest layoff round hit Xbox really hard and already Xbox fans and gamers saw their excitement about future video games drop. It is important to keep in mind that Microsoft and its Xbox division are both profitable which makes the new round of layoffs baffling to some. So far this year, over 15,000 employees were laid of by the technology giant. With the layoffs affecting Xbox’s developers and projects, there are matters that concerned both the Xbox fans and gamers who could have joined in.

Firstly, the Xbox game studio The Initiative will be closing down and their high-profile game Perfect Dark (which involved Crystal Dynamics) has officially been cancelled. This is tragic because Team Xbox had the opportunity to reboot the decades-old Perfect Dark franchise, delight the long-time PD fans while offering other gamers something new and exciting to play. A lot of gamers have been anticipating Perfect Dark for many years now only to end up frustrated.

Secondly, the successful and reliable Xbox game studio Turn 10 saw several of its employees laid off and their team will reportedly work as a supporter for Playground Games. For the newcomers reading this, Turn 10 created and built up the Forza Motorsport franchise of simulation racing games that started in 2005. To see Turn 10 get demoted and work on support duty for Playground Games on the Forza Horizon franchise is just very odd and baffling. Could this mean that Forza Motorsport (2023) is the last game of its franchise? Do you think a leaner Turn 10 will still be able to make another Forza Motorsport game?

Thirdly, the much-delayed Xbox game Everwild got cancelled and its developer also suffered from the Microsoft layoffs. This unfortunate development only added to the perception that developer Rare (the team behind many hit games it made with Nintendo decades ago) kept going downhill creatively, critically and commercially. Considering how long the game development lasted, I can only imagine that many millions of Dollars were spent on Everwild and Microsoft decided to pull the plug.

Fourthly and most notably, Xbox head Phil Spencer’s official email (addressed to employees) related with the huge layoffs was revealed and its content has been posted below for you to see. Some parts in boldface…

Today we are sharing decisions that will impact colleagues across our organization. To position Gaming for enduring success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas, we will end or decrease work in certain areas of the business and follow Microsoft’s lead in removing layers of management to increase agility and effectiveness. Out of respect for those impacted today, the specifics of today’s notifications and any organizational shifts will be shared by your team leaders in the coming days.

I recognize that these changes come at a time when we have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before. Our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger. The success we’re seeing currently is based on tough decisions we’ve made previously. We must make choices now for continued success in future years and a key part of that strategy is the discipline to prioritize the strongest opportunities. We will protect what is thriving and concentrate effort on areas with the greatest potential, while delivering on the expectations the company has for our business. This focused approach means we can deliver exceptional games and experiences for players for generations to come.

*Do you miss the good old days of Xbox? Are you a long-time Xbox gamer who became disappointed over Team Xbox’s decisions and releases? You are not alone!*

Prioritizing our opportunities is essential, but that does not lessen the significance of this moment. Simply put, we would not be where we are today without the time, energy, and creativity of those whose roles are impacted. These decisions are not a reflection of the talent, creativity, and dedication of the people involved. Our momentum is not accidental—it is the result of years of dedicated effort from our teams.

HR is working directly with impacted employees to provide severance plan benefits (aligned with local laws), including pay, healthcare coverage, and job placement resources to support their transition. Employees whose roles were eliminated are encouraged to explore open positions across Microsoft Gaming, where their applications will be given priority review.

Thank you to everyone who has shaped our culture, our products, and our community. We will move forward with deep appreciation and respect for all who have contributed to this journey.

This is my opinion about Spencer’s message…as head of Xbox, Spencer is really powerless and he has no choice but to follow orders from Microsoft’s top management whose views about video game culture and interests do not really match with what we gamers and the game makers have. For Microsoft’s leadership, they have a business to run but it is clear that gaming (electronic entertainment) won’t be going away soon and they will keep investing more money in video game projects. Of course, Microsoft expects healthy returns on its investments which is why they will keep the Game Pass subscription service moving, offer games to varied users (console, computer, mobile and cloud) and they will push through with the next-generation Xbox with AMD as a bigger strategic partner.

Regarding layoffs reaching thousands, it is depressing on face value because those who lost their jobs will have to deal with the high costs of living in first world economies like the United States and in parts of Europe. However, I see an opportunity that others cannot see…the opportunity for Team Xbox to get rid of their least-productive employees as well as laying off the woke activists scattered among the employees of the many Xbox game studios. As seen in entertainment over the past several years, woke activists working in movies, video games, comic books and TV shows do not prioritize quality, do not care about the fans, and they keep on abusing the company resources as they prioritized their Leftist agenda. Is it any wonder why modern entertainment sucks? Did you notice the use of pronouns in Xbox games?

To be fair, Microsoft and Team Xbox both have been woke for years already. In America, the tone of society has changed drastically ever since Donald Trump successfully returned as United States President. Perhaps Microsoft and Xbox executives realized that they should get rid of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) from their business practices and corporate culture before the wave of change under Trump’s America leaves them behind. As of this writing, Trump is making America great again and the woke know they are losing the culture war.

As US President Trump is reshaping America to be great again, meritocracy has become essential too. This means DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) really has no place in government, business, entertainment and culture. DEI must DIE!

I can only speculate that as Xbox game studios each have less employees to work with, there could be a renewed effort to focus more on making high-quality video games that are both enjoyable to play and worth the money of customers. The Outer Worlds 2, which will be released this October, has an eye-catching American price of $79.99 (regular edition) and already a lot of gamers – including The Outer Worlds fans – find the price excessive.

The way things are right now, the future of Xbox looks gloomy and the excitement of the Xbox fans and other gamers have weakened. That being said, we can only wait and see what will happen next in the near future. Perhaps a month from now, Team Xbox will clarify what direction they are headed to and what exciting projects or events fans can still look forward to.

How do you gamers feel about Xbox gaming right now? If you are an Xbox fan, are you feeling disappointed with the cancellation of Perfect Dark and Everwild? Do you think it is time for Team Xbox’s leadership to be changed now that Microsoft impacted the gaming projects and work forces?

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Philippines unemployment rate down in February 2025

April 14, 2025April 9, 2025carlocarrasco

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revealed recently that the unemployment rate of the Philippines fell down to 3.8% this past February from 4.3% the previous month, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the report of the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…

The country’s unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in three months, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.

In a briefing on Tuesday, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said preliminary results of the latest Labor Force Survey showed that the unemployment rate further declined to 3.8 percent in February this year from 4.3 percent the previous month. It was the lowest rate since the 3.1 percent recorded in December last year.

Mapa said the number of unemployed Filipinos declined to 1.94 million from 2.16 million in January this year.

Employment rate on the other hand, rose to 96.2 percent in February this year from 95.7 percent the previous month.

Mapa said the number of employed Filipinos went up to 49.15 million, higher than the 48.49 million and 48.95 million recorded in January this year and in February 2024, respectively.

Industries which recorded the largest increase in employment include accommodation and food service (+377,000), fishing and aquaculture (+365,000), public administration and defense (+330,000), construction (+258,000), and other service activities (+232,000).

Mapa said preparations for the midterm elections and summer holidays helped increase employment in accommodation and food service and other service activities.

Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think there will be more than enough job opportunities for the unemployed throughout the year? Do you think the Philippine economy will grow strongly to sustain new job creation until the end of 2025?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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