Name: Philippines Unemployment Rate
Creator: TRADING ECONOMICS
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Keywords: Philippines,Unemployment Rate,data,chart,actual,historical,values,calendar,forecast,graph,2025,2026,2027

The unemployment rate in the Philippines rose to 5.4% in September 2026 from 5.3% in the previous month. The number of unemployed persons increased to 2.86 million from 2.77 million, while the employment rate slipped to 94.6% from 94.7% and the number of employed persons rose to 50.32 million from 49.79 million over the same period. The underemployment rate also eased to 11.0% from 11.9%, with 5.56 million workers seeking additional hours or another job. On a year-on-year basis, the unemployment rate was higher than 3.8% in September 2025, while the employment rate was below 96.2% and the number of employed persons rose from 49.60 million. The underemployment rate was also slightly lower than 11.1% a year earlier. The services sector remained the largest employer, accounting for 62.2% of total employment, followed by agriculture at 20.7% and industry at 17.1%. Average weekly working hours rose to 40.1 from 39.2 in August but fell from 40.5 a year earlier. source: Philippine Statistics Authority

Unemployment Rate in Philippines increased to 5.40 percent in September from 5.30 percent in August of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Philippines averaged 7.41 percent from 1986 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 17.60 percent in April of 2020 and a record low of 3.10 percent in December of 2023. This page provides - Philippines Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. Philippines Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on November of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in Philippines increased to 5.40 percent in September from 5.30 percent in August of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Philippines is expected to be 5.20 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Philippines Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 5.10 percent in 2027 and 4.70 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.

Related	Last	Previous	Unit	Reference
Employed Persons	50323.01	49788.75	Thousand	Sep 2026
Employment Rate	94.60	94.70	percent	Sep 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate	64.50	64.00	percent	Sep 2026
Unemployed Persons	2864.65	2769.32	Thousand	Sep 2026
Unemployment Rate	5.40	5.30	percent	Sep 2026

Philippines Unemployment Rate

In the Philippines, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.

	Actual	Previous	Highest	Lowest	Dates	Unit	Frequency
	5.40	5.30	17.60	3.10	1986 - 2026	percent	Monthly	NSA

Compare: Unemployment Rate by Country

News Stream

Philippines Jobless Rate Ticks Up to 5.4%

The unemployment rate in the Philippines rose to 5.4% in September 2026 from 5.3% in the previous month. The number of unemployed persons increased to 2.86 million from 2.77 million, while the employment rate slipped to 94.6% from 94.7% and the number of employed persons rose to 50.32 million from 49.79 million over the same period. The underemployment rate also eased to 11.0% from 11.9%, with 5.56 million workers seeking additional hours or another job. On a year-on-year basis, the unemployment rate was higher than 3.8% in September 2025, while the employment rate was below 96.2% and the number of employed persons rose from 49.60 million. The underemployment rate was also slightly lower than 11.1% a year earlier. The services sector remained the largest employer, accounting for 62.2% of total employment, followed by agriculture at 20.7% and industry at 17.1%. Average weekly working hours rose to 40.1 from 39.2 in August but fell from 40.5 a year earlier.

2026-11-06

Philippines Jobless Rate Falls to 5.3%

The unemployment rate in the Philippines fell to 5.3% in August 2026 from a four-year high of 6% in the previous month. The number of unemployed persons declined to 2.77 million from 3.14 million, while the employment rate rose to 94.7% from 94% and the number of employed persons increased to 49.79 million from 49.21 million over the same period. The underemployment rate also eased to 11.9% from 12.9%, with 5.90 million workers seeking additional hours or another job. On a year-on-year basis, however, the unemployment rate remained above 3.9% in August 2025, while the employment rate was below 96.1% and the number of employed persons was down from 50.10 million. The underemployment rate was also higher than 10.7% a year earlier. The services sector remained the largest employer, accounting for 61.7% of total employment, followed by agriculture at 20.9% and industry at 17.3%. Average weekly working hours fell to 39.2 from 40.6 in July and 41.0 a year earlier.

2026-10-07

Philippines Jobless Rate Jumps to 4-Year High

The unemployment rate in the Philippines climbed to 6% in July 2026 from 4.9% in June and higher than the 5.3% recorded in July 2025. It marked the highest level since June 2022, mainly attributed to an influx of fresh graduates entering the labor force. The number of unemployed individuals rose to 3.14 million from 2.59 million in June. Meanwhile, the underemployment rate, a key indicator of job quality, increased to a three-month high of 12.9% from 12.1% in the prior month, with 6.33 million workers seeking additional hours or another job. The employment rate fell to 94% from 95.1%, as the number of employed persons declined to 49.21 million from 50.66 million. The services sector remained the country's largest employer, representing 62.8% of total employment, followed by agriculture at 19.7% and industry at 17.5%. Wage and salary workers made up 66.1% of total employment, with the majority working in private establishments (78.3%). Average weekly working hours were steady at 40.6.

2026-09-08