TACLOBAN CITY – Even before the energy crisis caused by the war in the Middle East, unemployment in Eastern Visayas already soared to 7.7 percent in January, three times higher than the 2.4 percent recorded over the same period in 2025.

The Philippine Statistics Authority in Eastern Visayas reported on Tuesday that an estimated 157,000 individuals were unemployed in January 2026, higher than the 52,000 unemployed individuals in January 2025 and 124,000 in October 2025.

PSA said the survey was conducted from January 9–31, covering 10,752 households interviewed across the region using the Computer-Aided Data Collection System (CADaCS).

PSA regional director Wilma Perante said the unemployed include those 15 years old and over who were without work, were available and willing to take up work in paid employment, awaiting results of previous job application, those with temporary illness or disability, and those waiting for rehire.

Data from the PSA regional office also show a reduction in the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) to 60.3 percent from 63.4 percent in January 2025. The January data, however, showed a slight increase in LFPR from 59.4 percent in October 2025.

The 60.3 percent LFPR placed the region’s labor force at 2.05 million persons who were either employed or unemployed out of the 3.40 million population aged 15 years old and over in January 2026. In January 2025, the number of individuals aged 15 years old and over who were in the labor force was estimated at 2.14 million, while in October 2025, it was estimated at 2.02 million individuals.

With the spike in the unemployment rate, the region’s employment rate in January 2026 dropped to 92.3 percent, from 97.6 percent in January 2025 and 93.9 percent in October 2025.

The 92.3 percent employment rate translates to an estimated 1.89 million employed persons out of the 2.05 million persons in the labor force of Eastern Visayas in January 2026. The number of employed persons in January 2026 was lower than the 2.09 million employed persons in January 2025 and 1.90 million in October 2025.

Aside from the increase in unemployment, the underemployment rate of Eastern Visayas also increased to 18.7 percent in January 2026, from 16.1 percent in January 2025 and 14.0 percent in October 2025.

This means that out of the 1.89 million employed individuals in January 2026, there were 353,000 underemployed persons, or those who expressed the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job, to have an additional job, or to have a new job with longer hours of work.