Agriculture has continued to support job generation in the country, accounting for one in every four jobs in December, helping drive economic growth.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that 24.4 percent of the 50.5 million employed in December were in the agriculture sector, or around 12.3 million Filipinos.

Services account for a 57.3 percent share of the jobs in December while industry had an 18.3 percent share.

Agriculture also generated 715,000 new jobs in December, the second most for the month when the country's unemployment rate slipped to 3.1 percent, the lowest in 2023.

“We could do much more in generating jobs and helping more of Filipinos in agriculture to have better lives,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said.

“The Department of Agriculture is now completing a three-year strategy that will modernize agriculture, attract more investments, and produce more to ensure food security,” he added.

The government, according to Tiu Laurel, is seeking to increase food productivity to ensure stable supply at reasonable prices and reduce importation. By improving returns from agriculture, government hopes it could inspire a new generation of farmers to replace an already aging population.

Tiu Laurel said the government aims to invest heavily in irrigation, machineries, post-harvest facilities and other farm inputs to boost production, lower cost, improve efficiency and raise returns for farmers.

Initial investments have resulted in record high harvest of 20.06 million metric tons of rice last year, helping reduce imports.