or 3.9 million in January 2019, the youth NEE in January 2019 was the second-lowest NEE recorded for all January rounds of the labor force surveys by the ILS since 2010.38 However, the underemployment rate remained high for the youth (aged 15 to 24 years old) at 14.1% in January 2019, an increase from 12.5% in January 2018, which the ILS attributed to the 11.7% decline in the youth labor force (–938,000).39 In terms of educational attainment, the ILS also recorded an increase in the underemployment rate of SHS graduates from 4% in 2018 to 19.5% in 2019, but a decline and a much lower underemployment rate of those with other educational levels (except for elementary).40 17. Regarding the salary offered to entry-level jobs, the telecommunications industry offers the highest median entry-level salary of Php20,000,41 according to JobStreet Salary Report 2022. This is followed by the computer or IT industry (Php19,550), the communication service industry (Php19,500), and consulting companies (Php19,000). Meanwhile, industries offering lower average entry-level salaries are by insurance and electronics companies (Php17,000), hospitality and manufacturing (Php15,500), consumer goods (Php15,000), and banking and finance (Php14,600).42 Moreover, while the number of freelancing jobs on an hourly basis is on the rise in Australia, the U.S., and Europe, the same employer participant observes that most companies in the Philippines still offer full-time employment. 18. Several factors contribute, if not highlight, the disadvantages of the youth in entering the country’s labor force. According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), only 20% of high school completers and less than 80% of college graduates find a job within a year of leaving school.43 Education level, age, job search behavior, family income, and social networks are the main factors influencing a young Filipino’s ability to integrate into the labor market.44 Those who have not completed secondary education, or the socalled “high school leavers,” proved to have the most difficulty transitioning into the workforce.45 A gender gap is also reflected in labor market performance in lower employment rates during the transition period as young women are more likely to be engaged in precarious forms of employment (e.g., private households) compared to men.46 Further, the “lack of [labor] market and job-search information and experience” put young people at a disadvantage compared to their older counterparts.47 38 Institute for Labor Studies, January 2019 Labor Force Survey (LFS) Results, available at https://ils.dole.gov.ph/laborforce-survey-report/2019-lfsr (last accessed May 26, 2022). 39 Id. 40 Id. 41 Cathrine Gonzales, Telcos, IT industry offer highest entry-level pay – Jobstreet, INQUIRER.NET, Jan. 27, 2022, available at https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1545950/telcos-it-industry-offer-highest-entry-level-pay-jobstreet (last accessed June 21, 2022). 42 Id. 43 Asian Development Bank, Program Impact Assessment Facilitating Youth School-to-Work Transition ProgramSubprogram 1, RRP PHI 49117-002 (April 2017). 44 Id. at 1. 45 Id. 46 Id. 47 United Nations Children’s Fund, Transitions from School to Work UNICEF Technical Report, 12, (2019), available at https://www.unicef.org/media/60366/file/Transitions-from-school-to-work-2019.pdf (last accessed May 26, 2022). 17