CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — As of January, the labor market in Northern Mindanao continues to show steady improvement, with the Services sector leading the way. It now employs 53.9 percent of the region’s workforce, or about 1.233 million individuals.

This highlights the growing importance of service-driven industries such as trade, tourism, healthcare, education and other public and private services.

According to the latest data from the Department of Labor and Employment Region 10 (DoLE-X) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA-X), the labor force participation rate has increased from 61.3 percent in the first quarter of 2024 to 64.9 percent in the same period this year.

This rise means that 156,000 more people have entered the workforce over the past year. DoLE-X regional director Atty. Joffrey Suyao attributed the growth to stronger economic engagement, likely driven by improved business conditions and expanded employment facilitation programs.

The employment rate remained steady at 96 percent, a slight increase from 95.8 percent a year ago.

In actual numbers, the region added 152,000 employed individuals year-on-year and 41,000 more compared to the previous quarter. This points to a consistent ability of the regional economy to create jobs and accommodate new workers entering the labor force.

The unemployment rate held firm at 4 percent, though the number of unemployed individuals rose slightly, from 92,500 to 94,500 over the year. While the percentage stayed the same, the increase in actual numbers suggests there’s still a need to generate more employment opportunities to keep pace with labor force growth.

Perhaps the most notable change came from the underemployment figures.

After rising to 20.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024, underemployment dropped significantly to 15.7 percent by the first quarter of this year.

That’s a decrease of nearly 100,000 people looking for better or additional work.

This shift implies that not only are more jobs being created, but many of them are now meeting workers’ needs for better hours, stability or suitability — a sign of improved labor market quality.

In terms of sector distribution, agriculture remains a vital part of the region’s employment landscape, providing jobs for 29.1 percent of the workforce, or about 664,000 individuals. Meanwhile, the industry sector accounts for 17.0 percent, employing 387,000 people.

Although smaller in share, these sectors still play crucial roles in sustaining rural livelihoods and industrial growth.

Altogether, Northern Mindanao recorded a total of 2.284 million employed individuals as of January.