THE Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported a decrease in unemployment in February 2025, driven by seasonal factors related to elections and the hot dry season.
The number of unemployed Filipinos aged 15 and above dropped to 1.94 million, a decrease of 228,000 compared to January 2025’s 2.16 million.
This translates to an unemployment rate of 3.8%, down from 4.3% the previous month. National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa attributed the positive trend to a year-on-year increase in employment within the accommodation and food service sector (approximately 377,000 jobs), likely due to the upcoming summer holidays. Election-related activities also contributed, with an estimated 41,000 jobs created within political organizations in February. This election-driven employment is expected to continue until May.
The total number of employed persons rose to 49.15 million in February 2025, a 668,000 increase from the previous month, resulting in an employment rate of 96.2%.
The services sector remained the dominant employer, accounting for 61.6% of total employment. Agriculture and industry sectors followed with 20.1% and 18.3%, respectively.
Significant month-on-month increases in employment were observed in wholesale and retail trade (620,000), construction (434,000), manufacturing (225,000), public administration (191,000), and fishing and aquaculture (147,000). Conversely, decreases were seen in agriculture and forestry (-520,000), administrative and support services (-308,000), transportation and storage (-176,000), professional and technical activities (-90,000), and information and communication (-89,000).
Wage and salary workers continued to comprise the largest portion of employed individuals at 63.2%. The Philippines’ unemployment rate remains comparable to those of its Asian neighbors, lower than China and India, but slightly higher than Malaysia and Vietnam.
