"As the Anareta family sits down to dinner at their gated community home, in a suburb of Metro Manila, even the rain outside cannot dampen their spirits. The construction business that 47-year-old Alejandro Anareta Jr runs has seen brisk business in recent years, going from eight to 12 people when he first started to about 80 workers now. "Seeing the country grow right before my very eyes, I know that the past two years have really been tremendous in terms of economic growth," he says. "I can safely say it is the Philippines' time, everybody is making plans for growth." The family has been riding that wave of prosperity seen in the wider economy and that means they are part of the consumer class, spending their money in newly-erected glitzy shopping malls. "Almost all the brands are here, you don't have to leave the country any more to go shopping," says his wife Shaila, adding that she is most excited about her favourite brand H&M arriving in Manila next year. Household spending has contributed to a boom in the Philippines. In the first three months of the year the country grew at a pace of 7.8%, beating even China. At the centre of Metro Manila new malls are attracting shoppers But not everyone is feeling the benefits of that prosperity. The next day in the blistering midday heat 56-year-old seafarer Ruben Barriantos is lining up for a third day at a seafarer centre on a busy road in the city. The place is like an open-air, all-day jobs fair with representatives from international cargo and leisure vessels holding up signs for the vacancies they have. Ruben, who is a second officer with 20 years' experience, has been out of a job for seven months. "I've never been out of work for this long before," he says. "The government doesn't care about the seafarers." Ruben is not alone in looking for work. Unemployment in the Philippines hit a three-year high of 7.5% in the first three months of the year, the highest in the region. So how is the economy growing so fast, when unemployment is so high? 'Inclusive growth' Rajat Nag, managing director general of the Asian Development Bank, says the Philippines is experiencing "jobless growth". "The growth in the Philippines has not created the kind of jobs you need - growth has to be inclusive, that means you have to create jobs," he says." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23598279
