MANILA, Philippines — The number of unemployed Filipinos rose to 2.86 million in September, up 909,000 from a year earlier and 95,000 from the previous month, as the unemployment rate climbed to 5.4 percent, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Friday.
Preliminary results of the September 2026 Labor Force Survey presented by National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Claire Dennis Mapa showed that the unemployment rate increased from 3.8 percent in September 2025 and 5.3 percent in August 2026.
Meanwhile, the employment rate slipped to 94.6 percent from 96.2 percent a year earlier and 94.7 percent in the previous month.
The country's labor force expanded to 53.19 million from 51.56 million in September last year and 52.56 million in August.
Despite the increase in unemployment, underemployment declined by 348,000 from August.
