Philippines Unemployment Rate

The unemployment rate in the Philippines declined to 4.4% in November 2025, down from a three-month high of 5.5% in October, reflecting an improving labor market supported by seasonal hiring. Despite the month-on-month improvement, the jobless rate remained significantly higher than the 3.2% recorded in November 2024. The number of unemployed persons increased to 2.25 million from 1.66 million in November 2024, while total employment edged down to 49.26 million from 49.54 million. Among major industry sectors, services remained the largest employer, accounting for 62.1% of total employment, followed by agriculture at 20.0% and industry at 17.9%. Labor market conditions were also affected by Typhoons Tino and Uwan, which weighed on accommodation and food services as well as wholesale and retail trade. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate decreased to 64.0% from 64.6%, indicating fewer Filipinos aged 15 and above were active in the labor market.