The proportion of jobless Filipinos rose to 4.7 percent in April 2026, climbing from the 4.1 percent posted a year earlier, according to the latest Labor Force Survey released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on June 9.
In raw numbers, roughly 2.41 million Filipinos aged 15 and older were without work during the survey period. That figure exceeded the 2.06 million recorded in April 2025, though it marked an improvement over January 2026, when joblessness peaked at 2.96 million and the rate stood at 5.8 percent.
Even with the higher jobless count, the size of the working population grew. The PSA pegged the number of employed Filipinos at 48.89 million in April, up from 48.67 million the previous year and from 47.94 million in January. The employment rate eased slightly to 95.3 percent from 95.9 percent in April 2025.
A larger share of the population was also looking for or holding jobs. The labor force participation rate reached 62.7 percent, drawing 51.30 million Filipinos into the workforce. While that participation level trailed the 63.7 percent logged in April 2025, it improved on the 62.3 percent measured at the start of the year.
The Services sector remained the backbone of national employment, absorbing 62.3 percent of all workers. Agriculture accounted for 19.4 percent and Industry for 18.3 percent. At the sub-sector level, wholesale and retail trade together with motor vehicle repair employed the largest group at 19.8 percent, trailed by agriculture and forestry at 16.8 percent and construction at 9.8 percent.
Hiring patterns over the year varied sharply by industry. Accommodation and food service activities added the most jobs, expanding by 510 thousand workers, followed by manufacturing with 259 thousand and transportation and storage with 189 thousand. Mining and quarrying and education rounded out the top gainers. On the losing end, wholesale and retail trade shed 450 thousand positions, while agriculture and forestry contracted by 392 thousand and fishing and aquaculture fell by 155 thousand.
Wage and salary earners formed the bulk of those with jobs at 64.4 percent, the survey showed. The self-employed without paid staff made up 27.8 percent, unpaid family workers 5.8 percent, and employers running their own farms or businesses 2.0 percent. Private establishments employed the largest segment of wage workers, taking in 78.7 percent of them, equal to half of all employed Filipinos.
Underemployment, which captures those wanting longer hours or additional work, widened to 15.2 percent. The PSA estimated that 7.41 million workers fell into this category. Most of them, 56.8 percent, clocked fewer than 40 hours weekly, while the remainder put in 40 hours or more yet still sought more work.
Regional results placed the Davao Region at the top with a 97.5 percent employment rate, while the Bicol Region recorded the weakest showing at 93.2 percent. Six areas registered jobless rates above the national figure, among them Bicol at 6.8 percent, Western Visayas at 6.3 percent, and Eastern Visayas at 5.5 percent.
Conditions for younger Filipinos drew particular concern. The share of youth aged 15 to 24 who were neither studying, working, nor in training, known as the NEET group, climbed to 12.2 percent from 10.6 percent a year earlier. Employment within this age bracket slipped to 87.4 percent from 88.5 percent, even as their participation rate held steady at 31.8 percent.
