MANILA - The Philippine Retailers Association said Tuesday there could be more jobs in the retail sector as demand increases in the run up to the Christmas season.

The Department of Trade and Industry's recent order, allowing several industries to operate at full capacity including malls, could also boost the near-term outlook for the industry, the PRA said.

"It's really a welcome note for us that slowly the economy is easing up. DTI was very supportive of the retailers, they allowed those that are restricted previously to operate. The economy is starting to beef up now...Definitely, if there's economic activity, there's opportunity for everyone," PRA president Rosemarie Ong said.

"Whether you're doing it online or you are doing it offline, because, let's say, delivery, logistics companies, it will provide jobs. Whoever will fulfill the supply chain processes, warehouse people, logistics people, we need people to be able to perform all these different functional areas," she added.

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The Christmas season has traditionally been among the busiest for businesses in the Philippines, a predominantly Catholic country.

Ong said the fourth quarter could be better than the first half of the year.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Benjamin Diokno earlier said Q4 could also be "much, much better" as the economy continues to gradually reopen.

Unemployment in July was at 10 percent or equivalent to 4.6 million jobless Filipinos, an improvement from the April rate which was at 17.7 percent, or a total of 7.3 million unemployed Filipinos.

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