Jobless rate rises to 4.1% in April

MANILA, Philippines —  The country’s unemployment rate increased in April from the previous month, while the quality of jobs in the market worsened, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Preliminary results of the PSA’s Labor Force Survey released yesterday showed that the country’s unemployment rate went up to 4.1 percent in April from 3.9 percent the previous month and four percent in the same month last year.

In terms of magnitude, there were 2.06 million jobless Filipinos in April, higher than the 1.93 million the previous month and 2.04 million in April last year.

While the number of unemployed Filipinos increased month-on-month, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said 129,000 of these are waiting for their job application results, while 42,000 are waiting to be rehired.

“We will check this in the survey month of May and June if they will enter the employed persons category,” he said.

Despite the slight uptick in unemployment, Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said the labor market continues to show resilience amid global headwinds.

“We remain on track to meet our target unemployment range of 4.4 to 4.7 percent set under the Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028,” she said.

PSA data also showed that the underemployment rate climbed to 14.6 percent in April from 13.4 percent in March.

The April underemployment rate, however, was unchanged from the same month last year.

An estimated 7.09 million Filipinos were underemployed or expressed desire to have additional hours of work or an additional job in April, up from 6.44 million in the previous month and 7.04 million in the same month in 2024.

The employment rate slid to 95.9 percent in April from the previous month’s 96.1 percent and 96 percent in the same month last year.

While the employment rate dipped slightly, the number of employed Filipinos increased to 48.67 million in April from 48.02 million the previous month and 48.35 million in the same month in 2024.

Mapa said the employment rate is seen as a “good indication of economic activities.”

The labor force participation rate went up to 63.7 percent in April from 62.9 percent in the previous month, but dipped from 64.1 percent in April last year.

Looking ahead, the DEPDev expects to see improvements in the labor market.

“We are optimistic about further improving our labor force in the months and years ahead,  especially with the rollout of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB) Plan and the influx of new investments,” Edillon said.

Launched last month, the TPB Plan provides the framework for job creation in the country.

To improve the employability of the workforce, Edillon said the government is implementing several initiatives including a Government Internship Program for the new graduates and skills training programs.

“Leveraging the role of the private sector in training and skills development allows the workforce to benefit from industry expertise. Under the Enterprise-Based Education and Training Framework, the government, in partnership with the private sector, will co-develop programs that focus on digital, technical and soft skills. This will allow learners to develop the foundational skills required for emerging industries,” she said.

Apart from pushing for a national policy for lifelong learning, she said the government will continue to promote measures to improve the productivity of domestic industries, particularly those that generate higher-quality jobs.

“Attracting more investments to generate higher-quality and better-paying jobs, particularly in manufacturing and higher-value-added services and expanding into new markets is essential to broadening our economy and opening up more job opportunities for Filipino workers,” she said.