Publication:
Inequality, Education, and Occupational Change in the Philippines

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorBelghith, Nadia Belhaj Hassine
dc.contributor.authorFernandez, Francine Claire
dc.contributor.authorLavin, Benjamin Aaron
dc.date.accessioned2025-07-03T15:11:06Z
dc.date.available2025-07-03T15:11:06Z
dc.date.issued2025-07-03
dc.description.abstractDespite significant progress in reducing poverty, the Philippines continues to face high inequality, which stayed elevated in the early 2000s as the economy grew. Although inequality has gradually declined since 2012, it remains among the highest in Southeast Asia. This paper examines how changes in education levels and occupational structure have shaped the wage distribution over the past two decades, particularly how changes in the relative supply of skills and the structure of employment have influenced wage gaps in recent years.Using two decades of labor force survey data, the paper examines the wage premium and the supply of skilled workers in the Philippines, finding that the slow growth in college-educated workers has sustained high wage premium for skilled workers. Unconditional quantile regressions reveal that returns to both college education and high-skill occupations increase monotonically over the wage distribution, contributing to the persistence of inequality. Changes in occupational structure have also influenced income distribution. Low- and middle-skilled jobs saw relative wage gains from 2002 to 2012, but middle-skilled occupations experienced the highest growth from 2012 to 2016—a key driver behind falling wage inequality. Employment trends followed a similar pattern, with middle-skilled job growth peaking in 2012-2016. Recent trends suggest a shift away from middle-skilled jobs, though it remains uncertain whether this reflects structural changes in the labor market or temporary disruptions.en
dc.identifierhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099819106302520992
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-11163
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10986/43421
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherWashington, DC: World Bank
dc.relation.ispartofseriesPolicy Research Working Paper; 11163
dc.rightsCC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holderWorld Bank
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subjectWAGE INEQUALITY
dc.subjectSKILLS
dc.subjectOCCUPATIONAL CHOICE
dc.subjectPOLARIZATION
dc.subjectRIF-REGRESSIONS
dc.titleInequality, Education, and Occupational Change in the Philippinesen
dc.typeWorking Paper
dspace.entity.typePublication
okr.date.disclosure2025-07-03
okr.date.doiregistration2025-07-05T02:11:23.011550Z
okr.date.lastmodified2025-07-03T13:06:41Zen
okr.doctypePolicy Research Working Paper
okr.doctypePublications & Research
okr.docurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099819106302520992
okr.guid099819106302520992
okr.identifier.docmidIDU-a2836f05-c1e6-4861-9035-974f26f0e4c4
okr.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-11163
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum40027309
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum40027309
okr.identifier.reportWPS11163
okr.import.id7871
okr.importedtrueen
okr.language.supporteden
okr.pdfurlhttps://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099819106302520992/pdf/IDU-a2836f05-c1e6-4861-9035-974f26f0e4c4.pdfen
okr.region.administrativeEast Asia and Pacific
okr.region.countryPhilippines
okr.sectorFY17 - Public Administration - Social Protection
okr.sectorSocial Protection
okr.themeFY17 - Inclusive Growth,FY17 - Jobs,FY17 - Economic Growth and Planning,FY17 - Data Development and Capacity Building,FY17 - Institutional strengthening and capacity building,FY17 - Gender,FY17 - Structural Transformation and Economic Diversification
okr.themeFY17 - Private Sector Development,FY17 - Economic Policy,FY17 - Public Sector Management,FY17 - Human Development and Gender
okr.topicMacroeconomics and Economic Growth::Economic Modeling and Statistics
okr.topicSocial Protections and Labor::Skills Development and Labor Force Training
okr.topicSocial Protections and Labor::Wages, Compensation & Benefits
okr.unitProsperity-ECA-POV Equity (EECPV)
relation.isSeriesOfPublication26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
relation.isSeriesOfPublication.latestForDiscovery26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Thumbnail Image
Name:
IDU-a2836f05-c1e6-4861-9035-974f26f0e4c4.pdf
Size:
1001.25 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
IDU-a2836f05-c1e6-4861-9035-974f26f0e4c4.txt
Size:
106.01 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download
Collections
Policy Research Working Papers