The Philippine unemployment rate climbed to 6 percent in July as millions of Filipinos entered the labor force, with young Filipinos making up a substantial share of new job seekers.

The number of unemployed Filipinos reached 3.14 million, up by about 550,000 from June, when 2.59 million were without jobs, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The July unemployment rate was higher than the 5.3 percent recorded a year earlier and 4.7 percent in April. National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa said the 6-percent level was last recorded in May and June 2022.

“Our 6 percent unemployment rate is something we have not seen for quite some time. The last time we had 6 percent was reported in May and June 2022,” Mapa said.

The increase in joblessness came as more Filipinos entered the labor market. The labor force participation rate rose to 63.6 percent from 60.7 percent a year earlier, bringing the labor force to 52.36 million, or 3.71 million more than in July 2025.

Young workers accounted for a substantial portion of the increase, with Mapa saying 1.33 million Filipinos aged 15 to 24 entered the labor market in July.

“Those aged 15 to 24 who joined the labor market in July 2026 totaled 1.33 million. That is substantial, but unfortunately, not all of them were employed,” Mapa said.

Meanwhile, employment declined to 49.21 million in July from 50.66 million in June. The employment rate stood at 94 percent, down from 94.7 percent a year earlier.

Underemployment, however, improved on an annual basis, falling to 12.9 percent from 14.8 percent in July 2025. The PSA estimated 6.33 million employed Filipinos wanted additional hours of work or another job.

Services remained the largest source of employment at 62.8 percent, followed by agriculture at 19.7 percent and industry at 17.5 percent.