Philippines Jobless Rate Hits 3-Year High

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%.

The unemployment rate in the Philippines declined to 4.4% in November 2025, down from a three-month high of 5.5% in October, reflecting an improving labor market supported by seasonal hiring. Despite the month-on-month improvement, the jobless rate remained significantly higher than the 3.2% recorded in November 2024. The number of unemployed persons increased to 2.25 million from 1.66 million in November 2024, while total employment edged down to 49.26 million from 49.54 million. Among major industry sectors, services remained the largest employer, accounting for 62.1% of total employment, followed by agriculture at 20.0% and industry at 17.9%. Labor market conditions were also affected by Typhoons Tino and Uwan, which weighed on accommodation and food services as well as wholesale and retail trade. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate decreased to 64.0% from 64.6%, indicating fewer Filipinos aged 15 and above were active in the labor market.