Economy

The primary emphasis of the economic analysis is to identify and evaluate those facets of the Pateros local economy, which have caused economic growth in the past, and to help determine the direction of any future economic change. Important considerations in this analysis include employment trends, labor force characteristics, and recent development activity.

POTENTIAL LABOR FORCE

Pateros in 1995 had a potential labor force of 36, 714, which constitute 66.41% of its population. Of these, 53% actually worked which was slightly lower than the NCR figure. Most of those who worked were males partaking 67% of its potential labor force while those for women only 40% of its potential labor force actually worked. These figures are lower than those of NCR especially among women. This suggests that the town’s womenfolk are more domesticated than those of NCR.

STRUCTURE OF LOCAL ECONOMY

The structure of the local economy of Pateros can be discerned from the composition of employment in the town. The predominant economic activity is services, which has more than half of the employed labor force (54%) in 1995. Following it is manufacturing with about 1/5 of the total, and trade with about 16%. Agriculture, which used to be the main source of employment many years ago, is no longer a significant contributor as it only partake a mere 1% of total employment. Construction is another significant employer with about 9% of the employed. The major sector with the least employment was mining and quarrying and fishing with less than half percent of the total. The structure more or less follows the general structure of the economy in the NCR. It reveals a local economy, which has been transformed from an agriculture-based to a service-based economy. It also reveals the strong ties and dependence to the regional economy given the similarity in their economic structure.