Local Economy

LABOR FORCE

Based on the 2015 Census of Population, labor force 15-64 years old in the city is 71.16% of the total population and 64.45% is gainfully employed. Majority of the workers are Service and Sales Workers (19.23%), Clerical Support Workers (18%), working in Elementary Occupations (13.48%), Professionals (12.82%) and Managers (9.84%). In 2020, it is expected that 3.68% (10,110 persons ages 60-64 years old) of the workforce or 2.62% of the total population from the last five years will retire and 7.94% of the total population (with 30,656 persons ages 10-15 years old) can replace the retiring population.

It can be said that quality of labor force is good considering the latest data on local employment services which reported a Placement Rate of 92% in 2017.

Being a highly urbanized city with no more land left for agriculture, the most dominant economic activities are centered on commercial and service center seconded by the industrial sector.

Agricultural activities in the city are done more as a hobby and an effort to combat negative environmental effects and source of domestic kitchen supplies than as a primary source of income. Such agricultural activities are limited to backyard and vertical gardening involving herbs, medicinal plants, vegetables and ornamental plants.

Mandaluyong City’s labor force also includes a number of Overseas Filipino Workers. In 2015, 7,471 Mandalenos or 1.93% of the city population ages 15 and above are working outside the Philippines to provide for their families. 62% are male while 38% are female. 41% of them are below 20 years old and 1.45% of the Total Mandaleño OFW Count are elementary graduate, 25.28% are high school graduate, while 19% are college or vocational undergraduates while almost half of the workers (47.77%) are academic degree or post-baccalaureate holders.

COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Commercial Activities

Typical of cities in metropolitan areas, Mandaluyong has its own share of commercial strips and a central business district (see Chapter 2 Zoning Map 4.16). The former, mostly comprising of banks and financing institutions, offices and service establishments stretch along public transport routes thereby serving both local consumers and passers-by from the neighboring localities. Major commercial strips of the city include the stretch of Boni Avenue, Shaw Boulevard, Libertad-Sierra Madre area, Kalentong, San Francisco, part of Martinez, Sgt. Bumatay towards Barangka Drive and Pinatubo towards EDSA.

The city’s Central Business District on the eastern portion of the city is concentrated in the EDSA-Shaw-Pasig Boundary – Pasig River Quadrangle. North of the CBD is a high-density commercial area comprising of establishments such as the Megamall, Shangri-La, Podium and the San Miguel Corporation headquarters.

The traditional neighborhood center, on the other hand, is replaced by groceries and convenience stores (Map 3.01,) wet and dry markets (Map 3.02), sari-sari stores, medical and dental clinics, amusement places and other personal services dominating almost all internal roads in the city.

Industrial Activities

These activities are mostly concentrated within the CBD and along Pasig River. Although prominent in the manufacture of foods, medicines and laboratory equipment, these industries are gradually declining in number, opting to relocate in newly-developed industrial zones outside the Metropolitan Manila.

In the Pasig River area, particularly in Barangays Namayan and Mabini J. Rizal, areas formerly industrial are now the sites for residential subdivisions and townhouses. In the EDSA-Shaw-Pioneer area, the transformation is toward a more economically profitable and globally competitive commercial activity.

ECONOMIC DYNAMISM

Rate of Increase of Establishments

Mandaluyong City was conferred the title “The Tiger Economy” jointly by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Asian Institute of Management (AIM), and SGV Policy Center, because of its vibrant economy as manifested by considerable increase in the number of registered business establishments between 2002 and 2018 (Figure 3.01).

As observed, there is a great leap in the number of business permits issued from 2002 to 2003 which increased steadily since then.  By 2007, the number of businesses registered in the city has reached around 12,150.  By 2015, the volume of taxpayers from the business sector is recorded at 15,180. These numbers further increased in 2017 as the total volume of taxpayers from the business sector grew to 16,321 wherein 2,896 of them were new registrants and the remaining 13,425 were business renewals supported by a total of 19,640 employees for both new registrants and business renewals.