Philippine unemployment dips to 4.4% in November

Unemployed Filipinos fell slightly to 2.25 million in November 2025, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)reported, citing results of its latest Labor Force Survey (LFS).

At a press briefing on Wednesday, National Statistician and PSA chief Claire Dennis Mapa said jobless individuals ages 15 and above declined from 2.54 million in October 2025.

The November 2025 figure, however, was higher than the 1.66 million unemployed recorded in November 2024.

With 51.52 million people in the labor force in November 2025, the PSA said the total number of unemployed translated to an unemployment rate of 4.4%, down from 5% in October 2025.

The PSA said the November reading meant 44 in 1,000 individuals did not have jobs or livelihoods during the period.

Employment rose month-on-month, with the PSA reporting 49.26 million employed persons in November 2025, up from 48.62 million in October 2025.

Year-on-year, employment in November 2025 was slightly lower than the 49.54 million recorded in November 2024.

As a share of the labor force, the PSA placed the employment rate at 95.6% in November 2025, up from 95% in October 2025 but down from 96.8% in November 2024.

Mapa attributed the modest month-on-month rise in employment, alongside the year-on-year decline, to the impact of “strong typhoons that we experienced in the month of November,” despite the holiday season that typically lifts demand for workers.

Month-on-month, the PSA said the biggest employment gains came from other service activities (+621,000) and wholesale and retail trade (+356,000).

The PSA also listed education (+173,000), construction (+143,000), and accommodation and food service activities (+90,000) among the five sub-sectors with the largest month-on-month growth in employed persons.

On a year-on-year basis, the PSA said the largest increases were in public administration and defense (+185,000) and education (+176,000).

Other year-on-year gainers included administrative and support service activities (+99,000), construction (+86,000), and information and communication (+82,000).

For month-on-month declines in employed persons, the PSA said the steepest drop was in agriculture and forestry (-517,000).

Other month-on-month decreases were recorded in public administration and defense (-121,000), fishing and aquaculture (-78,000), financial and insurance activities (-73,000), and manufacturing (-64,000).

Year-on-year, the PSA said the largest employment decreases were in accommodation and food service activities (-309,000) and wholesale and retail trade (-258,000).

Other year-on-year declines were logged in other service activities (-250,000), manufacturing (-150,000), and fishing and aquaculture (-56,000).

In November 2025, wage and salary workers accounted for 63.4% of employed persons, the PSA said.

The PSA said this was followed by the self-employed without paid employees (27.8%), unpaid family workers (7.2%), and employers in their own family-operated farm or business (1.6%).

Among wage and salary workers, those in private establishments made up 77.8% of wage and salary workers and 49.4%of the total employed population, the PSA reported.

Workers employed in government or government-controlled corporations accounted for 14.8% of wage and salary workers and 9.4% of total employed persons during the period, the PSA said.

The PSA also reported that labor force participants rose to 51.52 million from 51.16 million in October 2025.

The November 2025 labor force count was also higher than 51.2 million in November 2024, the PSA said.

In a statement, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) said job losses were high in sub-sectors where severe typhoons disrupted economic activity, affecting 873,000 workers in accommodation and food service activities, wholesale and retail trade, other service activities, and fishing and aquaculture.

“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,” said DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.

The PSA said the underemployment rate—an indicator of job quality—declined to 10.4% in November 2025 from 12%in October 2025.

The PSA also said the underemployment rate in November 2025 was below the 10.8% posted in November 2024.

In total, the PSA reported 5.11 million underemployed workers out of 49.26 million employed persons in November 2025, referring to employed people who wanted additional work or more hours.

In a separate briefing summary, the PSA said unemployment and underemployment eased in November 2025 compared with October, but unemployment rose compared with November 2024, when the jobless rate was 3.2%.

The PSA reiterated that the 4.4% jobless rate in November 2025 corresponded to 2.25 million unemployed workers.

PSA Undersecretary and National Statistician Dennis Mapa said underemployment also eased to 10.4% in November 2025 from 12% in October 2025, corresponding to 5.11 million underemployed workers.

Mapa said the two strong typhoons, Tino and Uwan, that hit the country in November affected the accommodation and food service sector and wholesale and retail trade, which the PSA linked to a slowdown in economic activity tied to tourism and consumer movement.

“Ang reading namin is that because of this typhoon, nagkaroon ng slowdown in economic activities related to tourism, doon sa accommodation services at of course yung sa retail trade,” Mapa said.

On an annual basis, Mapa said these two sectors accounted for job losses totaling 567,000.

The PSA also pointed to construction as a month-on-month gainer, reporting a 143,000 increase in construction employment.

“We were looking at the numbers ng construction industry…ng July to November para makita natin yung effect nung current investigations sa flood control, nag-increase yan ng mga 203,000, July to November 2025 vs. July to November 2024,” Mapa said.

The PSA briefing materials also noted that growth slowed in the third quarter of 2025 as the government put the brakes on infrastructure spending amid the flood control issue.

To reduce disruptions during severe weather events, Balisacan said the government will support establishments developing business preparedness measures.

Balisacan said the DEPDev will push for full implementation of the Philippine Innovation Act (Republic Act No. 11293) to foster an innovation ecosystem aimed at developing more entrepreneurs and increasing labor demand.

Balisacan also said the government is prioritizing the “Tatak Pinoy” strategy, described as a 10-year national industrial roadmap meant to boost local industries, create jobs, and elevate Filipino products to global standards.

Priority sectors under the strategy include Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) and Food and Agro-processing, which the DEPDev said have high potential for value-added production, export growth, and employment generation.

The recently enacted 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) supports these priorities through increased investments in quality education and programs for upskilling and reskilling, the DEPDev said.

“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.

“The government will actively support establishments in developing and implementing Business Continuity and Resiliency Plans,” DEPDev said.