The number of unemployed Filipinos slightly declined in September 2025, reaching 1.96 million from 2.03 million in August, according to the latest Labor Force Survey released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Thursday.
Despite the month-on-month improvement, National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa noted that joblessness remained higher than the 1.89 million recorded in September 2024. “Ang unemployed persons o bilang ng nasa labor force na walang trabaho o negosyo nitong Setyembre ay nasa 1.96 million,” Mapa said during a press briefing.
The unemployment rate stood at 3.8%, marginally lower than August’s 3.9% but slightly above the 3.7% posted in the same month last year. The labor force participation rate also fell to 64.5% from 65.1% in August and 65.7% a year earlier, reflecting a smaller share of working-age Filipinos actively seeking or engaged in employment.
Total employment dropped to 49.6 million in September, a decrease of 494,000 compared to the previous month and 270,000 lower than the same period in 2024.
Among industries, the construction sector posted the highest employment gains with 514,000 additional workers. This was followed by fishing and aquaculture (313,000), accommodation and food service (307,000), human health and social work (183,000), and agriculture and forestry (126,000). Mapa highlighted that the growth in construction was driven by increased activity in building works, plumbing, air conditioning installation, and utility projects.
The services sector continued to dominate the labor market, accounting for 61.3% of total employment, followed by agriculture at 20.9% and industry at 17.8%.
Meanwhile, underemployment rose to 11.1% in September from 10.7% in August, equivalent to 5.52 million individuals seeking additional work hours or income. However, this was still lower than the 11.9% rate recorded in September 2024.
