Jobless rate declines to 4.4% in November

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January 8, 2026 | 12:00am

2.25 million Pinoys remain unemployed, says PSA

MANILA, Philippines —  Unemployment in the country declined in November 2025 compared to the previous month, while underemployment also eased, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Results of the PSA’s Labor Force Survey presented by National Statistician Dennis Mapa yesterday showed that the country’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.4 percent in November 2025 from five percent in October 2025, but rose from 3.2 percent in November 2024.

This translates to 2.25 million jobless Filipinos in November 2025, down from 2.54 million in October 2025.

However, the number of unemployed Filipinos in November 2025 went up compared to the 1.66 million without work in the same month in 2024.

The country’s employment rate rose to 95.6 percent in November 2025 from 95 percent in October 2025, but dipped from 96.8 percent in November 2024.

An estimated 49.26 million Filipinos were employed in November 2025, up from 48.62 million a month ago, but lower than the 49.54 million in November 2024.

Job quality improved as the underemployment rate eased to 10.4 percent in November 2025 from 12 percent in October 2025 and 10.8 percent in November 2024.

There were 5.11 million underemployed Filipinos or those who want additional jobs or work hours in November 2025, down from 5.81 million in October 2025 and 5.35 million in November 2024.

The labor force participation rate went up to 64 percent in November 2025 from 63.6 percent in October 2025, but declined from 64.6 percent in November 2024.

Industries with the largest month-on-month increase in jobs in November 2025 were other service activities (621,000); wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (356,000); education (173,000); construction (143,000) and accommodation and food service activities (90,000).

On the other hand, those which saw the biggest month-on-month drop in employment in November 2025 were agriculture and forestry (-517,000); public administration and defense, compulsory social security (-121,000); fishing and aquaculture (-78,000); financial and insurance activities (-73,000) and manufacturing (-64,000).

While the expectation is for employment to pick up year-on-year in the months leading to the holiday season, Mapa said there were two typhoons that hit the country in November.

“So our reading is that because of these typhoons, there was a slowdown in economic activities related to tourism, in accommodation services and retail trade,” he said.

The accommodation and food service activities sector shed 309,000 jobs year-on-year in November 2025, while wholesale and retail trade saw a 258,000 drop in employment over the same period.

To strengthen the labor market, the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) said the government is stepping up efforts to enhance workforce competitiveness and business resilience.

“The government is prioritizing investments in skills development, lifelong learning and social protection systems to enable workers to transition across sectors and withstand economic shocks. Strengthening workforce competitiveness is one of the key elements to attract investments that generate quality jobs,” DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

To minimize business disruptions and protect workers during severe weather events, the government will help establishments craft and implement business continuity and resiliency plans.

As part of efforts to develop more businesses and increase labor demand, the DEPDev is pushing for the full implementation of the Philippine Innovation Act, which seeks to promote innovation for national development.

In addition, the government is prioritizing the Tatak Pinoy strategy or the country’s 10-year national industrial roadmap to strengthen local industries, create jobs and enhance the quality of Filipino products.

The DEPDev said the recently enacted 2026 budget supports these priorities through increased investments in quality education and programs for upskilling and reskilling.

“The 2026 national budget serves as a strategic roadmap for safeguarding economic recovery and sustaining progress toward our long-term development goals. It prioritizes investments in education, health, agriculture, social protection and job creation – sectors fundamental to building a more inclusive, competitive and resilient Philippine economy,” Balisacan said.