The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) on Thursday said more opportunities were available for skilled and semi-skilled workers, with “several key factors expanding.”

In a statement, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said positive growth is seen in service and sales, craft and related trades, as well as in industries hiring technicians and associate professionals.

Laguesma issued the statement after the Labor Force Survey showed the unemployment rate dropped significantly from two million (3.9 percent) in March 2024 to 1.931 million (3.9 percent) in March.

Additionally, the Labor chief noted that the labor force participation and unemployment rates continue to surpass the Philippine Development Plan targets.

“The March 2025 Labor Force Survey results mirror and reflect the volatile nature of our labor market, which is influenced and impacted by both external and internal factors. It affirms the need to address inefficiencies in our labor market (i.e., education-jobs mismatch, skills-jobs mismatch, and geographical mismatch, among others),” he said.

From January to April 2025, the DoLE organized 338 job fairs nationwide, soliciting more than 670,000 job vacancies from 10,000 local and overseas employers.

At the last Labor Day nationwide job fair, more than 260,000 jobs were up for grabs.

“This indicates that there are jobs available but the challenge is how to match these jobs with the jobseekers who participate in these events,” Laguesma said.

“The recent launch of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan 2025-2034 last 5 May is expected to address the labor market inefficiencies and stimulate national and local economic growth and development through the creation of more quality jobs and employment opportunities to address unemployment, underemployment, youth unemployment, and other labor market challenges,” he added.

Moving forward, Laguesma said, the DoLE “will pursue strategic objectives of crafting effective and relevant employment policies, enhancing workforce employability and skills, broadening access to jobs and livelihood opportunities, and fostering a conducive environment for sustainable and resilient businesses nationwide” in partnership with the private sector and other stakeholders.

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