Characterization of agricultural workers in the Philippines

Inclusive growth requires boosting incomes of workers currently in agriculture, either by shifting them to better‐paying jobs outside agriculture, or raising wages within agriculture. A comprehensive socioeconomic profile of agricultural workers will facilitate identification and prioritization of their problems, opportunities, and constraints. This study undertakes a review of secondary data towards such a profile. The review synthesizes a set of stylized facts about agricultural workers in the Philippines, while identifying the following gaps: - Spells of underemployment and degree of deficit in work hours - Breakdown of activities for which wages are paid - Past employment history of agricultural workers - Other relevant worker and household characteristics such as memberships in cooperatives and associations; other types of training such as technical and vocational education; other activities including outside agriculture; household assets; and so on. - Community level variables such as access to roads and other infrastructure, and technologies such as farm machinery.These gaps will inform the strategy of data gathering using follow‐up survey of agricultural households. The primary data thereby gathered, upon suitable analysis, will assist in recommend policies and design of programs that help sustain and accelerate growth of remunerative employment.