Philippine unemployment rate rose marginally to 4.1 percent in April 2025, compared to 4.0 percent in the same month last year as labor force participation rate also dipped slightly to 63.7 percent from 64.1 percent, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on June 6, 2025.
Nevertheless, the PSA also reported that employment rate remained high at 95.9 percent, reaching to 48.7 million employed Filipinos. Also, the underemployment rate held steady at 14.6 percent.
“Despite the slight uptick in unemployment, the Philippine labor market continues to demonstrate resilience amid global headwinds. We remain on track to meet our target unemployment range of 4.4 to 4.7 percent set under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028,” said Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon, who is currently officer-in-charge of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev). DEPDev Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan is on official travel to attend the handover ceremony of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Southeast Asia Regional Programme during the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris, France.
Job growth was sustained in key sectors. The services sector employed 30.14 million individuals, up from 29.72 million in April 2024, while the agriculture sector saw an increase to 10.02 million from 9.8 million.
Edillon further expressed optimism of further improving the labor force in the months and years ahead, especially with the rollout of Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB) Plan and the “influx of new investments.”
Edillon enumerated several government initiatives to improve the employability of jobseekers and workers, such as the enhancement of the Technical, Vocational and Livelihood track in the Senior High School, Government Internship Program for the new graduates, and the skills training programs that are being provided using various modalities.
“Leveraging the role of the private sector in training and skills development allows the workforce to benefit from industry expertise. Under the Enterprise-Based Education and Training Framework, the government, in partnership with the private sector, will co-develop programs that focus on digital, technical, and soft skills. This will allow learners to develop the foundational skills required for emerging industries,” the DEPDev Undersecretary added.
Also, to ensure that the workers remain agile, Edillon said that the development and promotion of a national policy for lifelong learning must be prioritized. The effective implementation of the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program will support lifelong learning by recognizing prior learning and work experience as industry-accepted qualifications.
Edillon added that the government will continue promoting measures that improve the productivity of domestic industries, particularly those that generate higher-quality jobs to enhance the resilience of the labor market amid external uncertainties.
“Attracting more investments to generate higher-quality and better-paying jobs, particularly in manufacturing and higher-value-added services, and expanding into new markets is essential to broadening our economy and opening up more job opportunities for Filipino workers,” she said.
In line with this, the newly created Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Advisory Council will proactively assist local firms in expanding their product mix and upgrading technological capacity to meet new product demands. In turn, the government will pursue programs that will equip workers with the necessary skills and ensure that crucial infrastructures are in place.
