DOLE notes rise in employment rate from May to June

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday, 6 Aug., noted a rise in employment rate from May to June.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma made the statement after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported in June a 526,000 increase in the labor force participation on a year-on-year basis.

Laguesma said this means more and more Filipinos are actively searching for employment opportunities.

Moreover, a rise in the employment rate was observed from the 96.1 percent employment rate in May 2025 to 96.3 percent in June 2025. The rise means 185,000 individuals were able to find jobs within a month.

"This upward trend suggests a strengthening labor market driven by growth in the industry sector, specifically in the sub-sectors such as wholesale and retail trade, fishing and aquaculture, and construction," Laguesma said.

He also highlighted the decrease in unemployed individuals from 2.03 million in May 2025 to 1.95 million in June 2025.

Similarly, the unemployment rate declined month-on-month, where this saw a decrease from 3.9 percent in May 2025 to 3.7 percent in June 2025.

Furthermore, a significant decline has been observed in the month-on-month number of underemployed persons by 840,000, from 6.603 million in May 2025 to 5.763 million in June 2025.

Laguesma attributed it to the increase in the number of full-time employment by 1.724 million month-on-month and the decline in part-time employment by 878,000 month-on-month.

During the 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. underscored the importance of decent and quality jobs as the most effective safeguard against poverty and hunger, noting the continued increase in job creation across the country.

Marcos directed that agencies such as the DOLE, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Tourism, and other relevant agencies persist in finding ways and creating opportunities for the remaining four percent of the labor force who are still unemployed.

In response to the President’s pronouncements during the 2025 SONA, Laguesma assured that the DOLE will continue to strengthen its youth and adult employability and employment facilitation programs through a whole-of-nation approach anchored on convergence, innovation, and accessibility.

Key initiatives include the enhancement of its labor market information system, particularly the PhilJobNet online portal to provide real-time, verified job postings for youth and other jobseekers, as well as intensified partnerships with Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs), national government agencies, local government units, private sector, and social partners, to expand the reach of job fairs and employment services nationwide through the Trabaho sa Bagong Pilipinas.

"We are also actively implementing and scaling up pre-employment and internship programs such as the Special Program for the Employment of Students, Government Internship Program, and JobStart Philippines, while supporting the career development needs of students and first-time jobseekers," Laguesma added.

The Labor chief also assured that the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), an attached agency of the DOLE, will likewise heighten and expand its scholarship programs as directed by the President to ensure that every Filipino family will have at least one child who completes a TESDA course to guarantee employability.