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Unemployment in the Philippines rose in 2025 even as most Filipinos remained employed, highlighting emerging pressures in the labor market, according to preliminary data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The jobless rate increased to 4.2 percent, equivalent to 2.14 million unemployed Filipinos, from 3.8 percent in 2024. This came despite a high employment rate of 95.8 percent, or about 49.01 million Filipinos with jobs.
Labor force participation slightly declined to 64.1 percent, translating to 51.16 million Filipinos either working or seeking work out of nearly 79.86 million individuals aged 15 and above.
Regional disparities remained pronounced. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao posted the highest labor force participation rate at 73.5 percent, while the Bicol Region recorded the lowest at 59.0 percent. At the provincial level, Sulu led with a 90.2 percent participation rate, while Tawi-Tawi lagged at 50.9 percent.
Employment outcomes also varied widely. The Cordillera Administrative Region recorded the highest employment rate at 97.3 percent, while CALABARZON had the lowest at 94.2 percent. Among provinces, Ilocos Norte posted the highest employment rate at 99.2 percent, while Basilan recorded the lowest at 90.9 percent.
CALABARZON also registered the highest unemployment rate among regions at 5.8 percent, followed by the National Capital Region at 5.2 percent. In contrast, the Cordillera Administrative Region posted the lowest jobless rate at 2.7 percent.
Meanwhile, underemployment—seen as a measure of job quality—remained unchanged at 11.9 percent, affecting about 5.82 million workers seeking additional hours or better-paying work. SOCCSKSARGEN recorded the highest underemployment rate at 25.0 percent, while the Davao Region had the lowest at 3.9 percent.
At the provincial level, Sarangani posted the highest underemployment rate at 44.8 percent, indicating that nearly half of its workforce sought more work hours. Davao Oriental, on the other hand, recorded the lowest at 1.2 percent.
