FEWER Filipinos were without jobs in April, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed on Tuesday, but the number of those looking for more work rose.
Unemployment slipped to 4.7 percent from 5.0 percent in March, the PSA reported, but was higher compared to the year-earlier 4.1 percent.
The number of working-age Filipinos with jobs was 2.41 million, rising from 2.06 million in April 2025. It fell, however, from March’s 2.58 million.
Underemployment, which counts those looking for more work or an extra job, rose to 15.2 percent from 12.3 percent in March and 14.6 percent a year earlier.
This was equivalent to 7.41 million out of 48.89 million employed individuals, the PSA said, up from 7.09 million in April last year and 6.03 million in March.
The number of Filipinos with jobs fell from 49.07 million in March and 48.67 million a year earlier.
The labor force participation rate (LFPR) — the percentage of the working-age population with jobs or actively looking for work — slipped to 62.7 percent from 63.7 percent in April 2025 and 63.3 in March.
The youth LFPR was unchanged at 31.8 percent from a year earlier but rose from 30.6 percent in March. Those not in education, employment and training (NEET) rose to 12.2 percent from 10.6 percent year on year. A figure for March was not available.
“The latest labor market indicators reflect both the challenges confronting the economy and the resilience of Filipino workers and businesses,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.
The Department of Economy, Planning and Development, which Balisacan heads, said “strengthening the resilience of the Philippine labor market remains a matter of urgency.”
Balisacan said the government was continuing to monitor the impact of “disruptions” such as the Middle East crisis, El Niño and Monday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Mindanao.
“We remain committed to providing timely support to affected workers and households,” he added.
Services continued to account for the bulk of jobs with a 62.3 percent share of the total employed in April. Industry and agriculture, meanwhile, held shares of 18.3 percent and 19.4 percent, respectively.
The top three subsectors with the highest employment in April were wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (19.8 percent); agriculture and forestry (16.8 percent); and construction (9.8 percent).
Wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles shed the most jobs (450,000); however, accommodation and food service activities added the most (510,000).
Wage and salary workers comprised 64.4 percent of the workforce, followed by self-employed workers without paid employees (27.8 percent), unpaid family workers (5.8 percent), and employers in own family-operated farms or businesses (2.0 percent).
Employees in private establishments accounted for the biggest share of wage and salary workers at 78.7 percent and also comprised 50.7 percent of total employed individuals. Government workers, including those in state-owned firms, followed with a 14.6-percent share of all wage and salary workers and 9.4 percent of all employed individuals.
Balisacan said that government assistance efforts were being implemented under the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport framework, which was launched in the wake of the war in the Middle East.
He added that the government is also reconvening the interagency El Niño task force to protect livelihoods in the agricultural sector.
“We are working to broaden market access and attract investments in emerging industries, including artificial intelligence and other high-growth sectors, through strengthened economic partnerships and initiatives such as the Luzon Economic Corridor,” Balisacan continued.
He stressed that stronger collaboration between the government and the industry was necessary to equip workers with the skills needed in a rapidly evolving economy.
