The number of jobless Filipinos fell to 2.66 million in February 2026, with the unemployment rate easing to 5.1% from 5.8% the month prior, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported Wednesday.
The figure marks a notable improvement from January 2026, when 2.96 million Filipinos were without work. Compared to February a year earlier, however, unemployment has risen — only 1.94 million were jobless in the same month in 2025.
A total of 49.43 million Filipinos held jobs in February, putting the employment rate at 94.9%. Despite that figure, underemployment remained a concern: the PSA recorded an underemployment rate of 11.8%, meaning roughly 5.84 million employed workers said they needed additional hours or a second source of income. The average workweek clocked in at 40.9 hours.
The services sector continued to dominate employment, accounting for 63.5% of the workforce. Agriculture followed at 18.8%, with Industry at 17.7%. At the subsector level, wholesale and retail trade led with 20.0% of employed persons, trailed by agriculture and forestry at 16.0% and construction at 9.2%.
Year-on-year, administrative and support service activities posted the sharpest worker increase at 572,000, followed by transportation and storage with 486,000 additional workers, and accommodation and food services at 357,000. Financial and insurance activities and human health and social work activities also saw gains of 224,000 and 214,000, respectively.
Losses were concentrated in sectors that had previously anchored employment. Wholesale and retail trade shed the most workers year-on-year at 725,000, followed by agriculture and forestry at 523,000 and construction at 484,000. Public administration and defense lost 126,000 workers, while arts, entertainment and recreation fell by 86,000.
The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development described the numbers as a sign of labor market resilience, while also flagging the need for stronger policy responses. Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the data underscored the pressure facing Filipino workers both at home and overseas.
“Recent developments highlight the urgency to strengthen the resilience of our labor market. We must ensure that our policies and programs respond effectively to rapidly changing global conditions, especially for affected and displaced Filipino workers here and abroad,” Balisacan said.
