Jobless Pinoys fall to 2.77 million in August
The country’s unemployment level declined in August from the previous month as more jobs were created in the agriculture sector, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the unemployment rate in the Philippines fell to 5.3 percent in August from six percent in July, marking a decline in the number of jobless Filipinos. Preliminary data from the Labor Force Survey indicated that 2.77 million Filipinos were unemployed in August, a decrease from 3.14 million the previous month.
However, this figure was still higher than the 2.03 million unemployed in August 2025. The employment rate rose to 94.7 percent in August, up from 94 percent the previous month, but was down from 96.1 percent in August 2025. This corresponds to 49.79 million employed Filipinos in August, an increase from 49.21 million the previous month, but a decrease from 50.1 million in August 2025.
The underemployment rate also declined to 11.9 percent in August from 12.9 percent in the previous month, but increased from 10.7 percent in August 2025. A total of 5.9 million Filipinos were underemployed in August, lower than the 6.33 million in July. The labor force participation rate stood at 64 percent in August, up from 63.6 percent the previous month, but down from 65.1 percent in August 2025.
The improvement in the unemployment rate was attributed to an increase in jobs in the agriculture and forestry sector, which added 847,000 jobs in August. Other sectors with significant increases in employment included construction, wholesale and retail trade, and education. Conversely, public administration and defense, manufacturing, administrative and support service activities, information and communication, and fishing and aquaculture experienced declines in employment.
Chinabank Research noted that fresh graduates who joined the labor force were partly absorbed, improving the labor market conditions. However, the year-on-year increase in unemployment could be attributed to slower economic growth due to the Middle East conflict and slower infrastructure spending. Chinabank Research's chief economist, Michael Ricafort, suggested that catch-up spending by the national government, especially on infrastructure, could help create more jobs and boost the economy.
Written by urgent.news from Philippine Star Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
