REVERSING a positive trend, the number of unemployed Filipinos surged in October, reaching 2.54 million individuals, according to the latest data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Wednesday, December 10.
This marks a significant increase compared to the 1.96 million jobless Filipinos recorded in September 2025, raising concerns about the stability of the country’s labor market.
The unemployment rate climbed to 5% in October, a notable jump from the 3.8% recorded in the previous month. Meanwhile, the employment rate experienced a slight dip, standing at 95% in October compared to 96.2% in September. This translates to 48.62 million Filipinos being employed, a decrease from the 49.60 million employed in the previous month.
In a contrasting trend, the underemployment rate saw a decrease, falling to 11.1% in October from 12.0% in September. This indicates that fewer Filipinos are expressing the need for additional work hours or secondary employment.
The PSA also found that Filipinos worked an average of 41.4 hours per week.
Sector Breakdown
The services sector continues to be the primary source of employment, accounting for 60.6% of employed persons. The agriculture sector follows with 21.3%, while the industry sector accounts for 17.9%.
The subsectors with the highest employment rates are:
- Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles (20.0%)
- Agriculture and Forestry (19.0%)
- Construction (9.7%)
Employment Gains and Losses
Several sectors experienced significant annual increases in employment, including:
- Public administration and defense; compulsory social security: Up by 257,000
- Accommodation and food service activities: Up by 180,000
- Agriculture and forestry: Up by 168,000
- Manufacturing: Up by 152,000
- Fishing and aquaculture: Up by 88,000
However, other subsectors saw a decline in employment, including:
- Other service activities: Down by 520,000
- Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles: Down by 66,000
- Professional, scientific and technical activities: Down by 47,000
- Mining and quarrying: Down by 33,000
- Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities: Down by 21,000
Wage and salary workers comprise the majority of the employed population, accounting for 64.2%. Self-employed individuals without employees make up 27.5%, unpaid family workers are at 6.3%, and employers in family-run businesses account for 2.0%.
