MANILA, Philippines — The government pushed for faster investment approvals, stronger job-matching mechanisms, and expanded skills training to contain rising unemployment, Malacanang said on Wednesday.
In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said improving the ease of doing business is key to generating more jobs in the private sector.
Castro said the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the unemployment rate rose to six percent in July, or about 3.14 million unemployed Filipinos.
The latest figure was higher than the 5.3 percent recorded in July 2025 and 4.7 percent in April this year.
The increase came even as the economy generated more employment, underscoring the challenge of absorbing the growing number of Filipinos entering the labor market.
Castro said the government is looking at the latest figures within the broader expansion of the labor force and employment, citing data showing that the labor force reached 52.36 million, while total employment increased to 49.21 million.
The figures mean that employment increased by about 3.16 million from a year earlier, but the labor force expanded by an even larger 3.72 million, leaving the economy with a substantial number of new job seekers who were not immediately absorbed.
Castro said the development makes it important for the government to keep removing barriers to private investment, which she said could expand businesses' capacity to create jobs.
The Palace press officer said that according to Economy, Planning and Development Secretary Arsenio Balisacan "this is an issue of progress and challenge."
"But the main key here is to continuously have improvement in the ease of doing business in the country," Castro said in Filipino referring to Balisacan's assessment.
The administration is also addressing employment disruptions caused by the Middle East crisis, with some overseas Filipino workers repatriated from affected countries and potentially needing help finding new employment opportunities, Castro said.
The government also continues to pursue skills upgrading through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority's Upskilling Alliances, intended to improve workers' employability as industries' skills requirements evolve.
Castro said a faster and more efficient process for securing government requirements could encourage investors to establish or expand businesses in the country, creating additional employment opportunities.
