More Pinoys taking on extra work to augment income – study

MANILA, Philippines — Over 70 percent of Filipinos continue to hustle or have side jobs in order to improve how they manage their finances, according to a study of Worldpanel by Numerator (formerly Worldpanel by Kantar).

The Shopperscope 2025 report showed that 75 percent of consumers are able to manage their finances better and are able to break even by the end of the month by hustling.

This is higher than the 73 percent of Filipinos who were managing their resources to make both ends meet through extra work in last year’s report.

Meanwhile, only 14 percent of Filipinos identify as comfortable or with resources to afford most things, but not necessarily without restrictions. This is also up from eight percent last year.

The remaining 11 percent feel they are struggling with their current situation, either by making ends meet or covering family expenses on a monthly basis. This is down from 19 percent last year.

Conducted from February to April 2025, the Shopperscope report is based on interviews with 2,000 consumers to get insights on the Filipinos’ current financial disposition, shopping habits and preferences, as well as personal economic outlook.

“Our Shopperscope data indicates a 10-point increase among Filipinos who believe that their financial situation will improve in the next 12 months,” Laurice Obana, shopper insights director at Worldpanel by Numerator said.

Despite this, she said consumers remain cautious and continue to track rising grocery and fuel prices.

She said health and well-being are also among consumers’ top concerns this year.

To accommodate more FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) categories in their baskets, the report found that Filipinos are shopping smarter by stretching their budgets.

Consumers are looking for cheaper products or those on promotion or deals when shopping.

While Filipino consumers continue to spend on basic needs like bread, biscuits, coffee mixes and powdered laundry detergents, they are also making room for some affordable upgrades like liquid laundry detergents and ready-to-drink coffee.

Pet food is also growing in relevance in Filipino consumers’ spending.

Obana said the Filipinos’ FMCG spend may breach the initially forecasted four to five percent growth for this year as spending usually picks up in the last quarter of the year or during the holiday season.

She said consumers’ FMCG spend posted a 4.5-percent growth as of the first half.

Last year, consumer spending on FMCG grew by 6.2 percent.

“Our research shows that as financial relief trickles down, though at different stages, Filipinos will continue to practice temperance, balancing their savings but not forgetting to allow some treats for themselves. Brands need to have a better understanding of what value means to the consumer for them to continue thriving in the FMCG market,” Obana said.