Rise in part-time work signals poorer job quality, think tank says

The rise in part-time work signals a worsening of job quality in the Philippines, according to think tank IBON Foundation.

In its latest report, IBON said full-time workers declined by 637,000 to 34.2 million, while part-time workers increased by 787,000.

“This means nearly one-third of the workforce, or 15.8 million Filipinos, are in part-time jobs,” IBON Executive Director Sonny Africa said.

The foundation estimates that openly informal workers grew by 748,000 to 21.2 million, or 41.9 percent of the total employed. This group includes the self-employed, private household workers, and those in family-owned farms and businesses.

The non-profit made the statement after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., in his latest State of the Nation Address, highlighted a steady rise in job opportunities nationwide.

Further, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) noted that quality jobs expanded as underemployment declined in June.

Citing the June 2025 Labor Force Survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority, DEPDev said the underemployment rate dipped to 11.4 percent from 12.1 percent.

However, Africa argued that “fewer underemployed people are not an indication that the job situation is improving.”

“Instead, more Filipinos are left with fewer options in a deteriorating jobs market. Beyond taking labor figures at face value, job quality should be measured by decent wages and benefits, job security, and labor rights — areas where the Philippines is failing on all counts,” he stressed.

‘Weakening economic activity’

Africa also pointed to “weakening economic activity” reflected in the deterioration of job quality, citing a large drop in the number of private establishment workers by 831,000 to 25 million.

He added that increases in government jobs by 279,000 and domestic work by 278,000 “were insufficient to offset the overall decline in wage and salary workers by 255,000 to 31.8 million.”

“Even more concerning is that the number of unpaid family workers surged by 296,000, increasing to over 4 million,” he added.

To truly create sustainable and decent work for Filipinos, “a bold rethink of national priorities is needed.”

“The government’s overreliance on being export- and foreign investment-oriented is more counterproductive than ever, offering little protection from external shocks and even less strategic flexibility,” Africa continued.

“Economic growth and development need to come from a domestic-oriented strategy — driven by rising internal demand that is rooted in a more equitable economy, sustained by increasing production from robust agriculture and the long-overdue development of Filipino industry, which creates more jobs, incomes, and surplus to further expand demand.”