May 01, 2025
As we commemorate International Labor Day, the Center for Women’s Resources (CWR) honors the strength, struggles, and contributions of all working women across the country and around the world.
At the same time, we raise urgent alarm over the continuing crisis of labor exploitation, discrimination, and insecurity—conditions brought by neoliberal policies in labor that disproportionately affect Filipino women and must shape the choices we make in the coming elections.
In recent years, mass layoffs have devastated working-class communities. From 2020 to 2024, over 17,000 workers, mostly women in garments and electronics, lost their jobs in the Mactan Export Processing Zone. Layoffs continue to rise in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector as AI threatens 300,000 jobs, with women among the most vulnerable. In Davao del Sur, 3,200 contractual workers at Franklin Baker Inc. were placed on “floating status” with no assurance of reemployment or income.
Due to contractualization and low wages, women are more likely to experience discrimination, harassment, and poor working conditions. The largest number of contractual workers is found in major sectors (wholesale and retail trade, other service activities, accommodation and food service activities, and manufacturing). According to the Integrated Survey on Labor and Employment 2021/2022 (ISLE) data, there are only 392,007 women non-regular workers in establishments with 20 or more workers.
Contractualization remains rampant, even in institutions that should uphold labor standards. The government itself employs nearly a million contractual workers, with women accounting for almost four in every ten under job order or contract of service arrangements. These workers are excluded from the most basic benefits and protections, a betrayal of the state’s duty to uphold secure employment and quality public service.
Under the Marcos Jr. administration, only two small wage increases were implemented—insufficient against the skyrocketing prices of goods and services. Meanwhile, the gender wage gap persists. A 2022 Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) study indicated that women in digital jobs earn 18.4% less than men. In agriculture, women earn only 92 centavos for every peso paid to their male counterparts. Limited data on the gender wage gap further obscures the real scale of inequality.
Workplace violence and harassment also remain widespread. In a survey by the Lloyd Register Foundation and Gallup Report, 22% of women have experienced violence and sexual harassment at work. The majority of those who responded – 47% of women — did not report the incident due to fear of retaliation and the belief that nothing would happen if they reported it. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), many cases of sexual harassment are underreported, with only 30% of victims filing complaints due to fear of retaliation and lack of support from the company or workplace.
Worse, union and labor repression is on the rise. Only 4.5% of workers were unionized in 2022, down from 6.3% in 2018. Women’s participation in unions is still lower than men’s, especially in traditionally male-dominated sectors such as manufacturing and construction. According to the 2024 Global Rights Index, the Philippines has been on the list of the ten worst countries for workers for eight consecutive years.
The upcoming elections must be a time of reckoning. In CWR’s recent electoral survey, women themselves have made clear that jobs, livelihood, wages, and income—along with addressing the rising cost of living—are the top issues they face today. This affirms the urgent need for concrete policies and actions toward uplifting of women’s lives.
We call on Filipino women, and all voters, to reject candidates who tolerate or perpetuate labor exploitation. Instead, we must elect leaders who will champion the women’s and people’s call for living wages, decent work, and labor rights. #
