The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released the results of the April 2026 Labor Force Survey, showing a national unemployment rate of 4.7 percent.
While this represents a year-on-year increase from the 4.1 percent recorded in April 2025, it marks a significant recovery from the 5.8 percent unemployment rate posted in January 2026.
In terms of magnitude, the number of unemployed individuals in April 2026 stood at 2.41 million, up from 2.06 million in April 2025, but down from 2.96 million in January 2026.
Despite the rise in the unemployment rate, the absolute number of employed Filipinos actually increased due to a growing labor force. Total employment for April 2026 reached 48.89 million, up from 48.67 million in April 2025 and 47.94 million in January 2026. The national employment rate was recorded at 95.3 percent.
The Services sector remains the primary engine of the Philippine workforce, accounting for 62.3 percent of all employed persons. The Agriculture and Industry sectors followed with 19.4 percent and 18.3 percent shares, respectively.
Top sub-sectors reshaping the job market
| Sub-Sector | Annual Growth (vs. April 2025) | Quarterly Recovery (vs. January 2026) |
| Accommodation & Food Services | +510,000 | +305,000 |
| Manufacturing | +259,000 | -107,000 (slump) |
| Agriculture & Forestry | -392,000 (annual drop) | +703,000 (sharp bounce) |
| Wholesale & Retail Trade | -450,000 (annual drop) | +416,000 (sharp bounce) |
The underemployment rate—the percentage of employed persons expressing a desire for additional work hours or a secondary job—rose to 15.2 percent (7.41 million individuals). This is an increase from the 14.6 percent recorded in April 2025 and 13.2 percent in January 2026.
Among those underemployed, 56.8 percent were “visibly underemployed” (working less than 40 hours a week), while 43.2 percent were “invisibly underemployed” (already working 40 hours or more but still seeking more work). On average, the Filipino workforce saw a slight increase in weekly workload, averaging 40.2 hours per week, compared to 39.9 hours in April 2025.
-
Workforce Composition: Wage and salary workers continued to make up the vast majority of the workforce at 64.4 percent, with private establishment employees comprising 78.7 percent of this group. Self-employed individuals without paid employees accounted for 27.8 percent.
-
Regional Disparities: Region XI (Davao Region) recorded the highest employment rate in the country at 97.5 percent. Conversely, Region V (Bicol Region) posted the lowest employment rate at 93.2 percent and the highest regional unemployment rate at 6.8 percent. Five other regions surpassed the national unemployment average of 4.7 percent, including the National Capital Region (NCR) at 5.2 percent.
The Youth Labor Force Participation Rate (ages 15 to 24) held steady at 31.8 percent, matching the April 2025 figure. However, the youth employment rate dropped to 87.4 percent (down from 88.5 percent last year). Concurrently, the proportion of youth Not in Education, Employment, and Training (NEET) rose to 12.2 percent, up from 10.6 percent in April 2025.
