Eastern Visayas unemployment soars to 7.7%

TACLOBAN CITY — Unemployment in Eastern Visayas rose to 7.7 percent in January 2026, about three times higher than the 2.4 percent recorded in the same period in 2025, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The PSA said around 157,000 individuals were unemployed in January 2026, up from 52,000 in January 2025 and 124,000 in October 2025.

The 9 to 31 January survey covered 10,752 households across the region using the Computer-Aided Data Collection System (CADaCS).

PSA regional director Wilma Perante said the unemployed include individuals aged 15 and above who are without work but available and willing to work, including those awaiting job application results, those with temporary illness or disability, and those waiting for rehire.

The region’s labor force participation rate (LFPR) also declined to 60.3 percent from 63.4 percent in January 2025, although slightly higher than 59.4 percent in October 2025. This places the labor force at 2.05 million out of 3.40 million people aged 15 and above.

Employment rate dropped to 92.3 percent from 97.6 percent a year earlier, equivalent to about 1.89 million employed persons in January 2026.

Underemployment also rose to 18.7 percent from 16.1 percent in January 2025, meaning about 353,000 workers were seeking additional hours, jobs, or better employment opportunities.