Philippines Jobless Rate Steady at 3.9%

The unemployment rate in the Philippines fell to 5.1% in February 2026 from an over three-year high of 5.8% in January. The number of unemployed persons dropped to 2.66 million from 2.96 million in January, while total employment rose to 49.43 million, up from 47.94 million the previous month. The labor force participation rate stood at 63.8%, slightly lower than 64.5% in February 2025 but higher than 62.3% in January 2026. Services remained the largest sector, accounting for 63.5% of employment, followed by agriculture at 18.8% and industry at 17.7%. Top sub-sectors by employment were wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, agriculture and forestry, and construction. Wage and salary workers made up 63.8% of the workforce, mostly in private establishments. Average weekly hours worked were 40.9. Compared with February 2025, the jobless  rate remained significantly higher, when it stood at 3.8%.

The unemployment rate in the Philippines climbed to 5.8% in January 2026, marking the highest reading since June 2022, up from 4.4% in the previous month. The number of unemployed persons jumped to an over four-year high of 2.96 million from 2.26 million in December and 2.17 million a year earlier. Meanwhile, total employment declined to 47.94 million from 49.43 million in December and 48.49 million in January 2025. Among major sectors, services continued to dominate employment at 63.6% of total workers, followed by industry and agriculture at 18.3% and 18.1%, respectively. Within services, the top three with the highest employment were wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, agriculture and forestry, and construction. The labor force participation rate also fell to 62.3% from 64.4% in December and 63.9% a year ago.

The unemployment rate in the Philippines remained at 4.4% in December 2025, unchanged from November, reflecting stable labor market conditions. However, it was higher than the 3.1% recorded in December 2024. The number of unemployed persons rose slightly to 2.26 million from 2.25 million in November and 1.63 million a year earlier. Total employment increased to 49.43 million from 49.26 million in November but remained below December 2024’s 50.19 million. Among major sectors, services continued to dominate employment at 62.4% of total workers, followed by agriculture at 20.7% and industry at 16.9%. Within services, sub-sectors such as wholesale and retail trade, and accommodation and food services maintained significant shares of employment. The labor force participation rate was 64.4%, up from 64.0% in November but below December 2024’s 65.1%.