W. Visayas unemployment climbs to 5.5% in January 2026 — PSA

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Unemployment in Western Visayas rose to 5.5 percent in January 2026, the highest rate in the region in the past year, according to the latest Labor Force Survey released by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Data showed that an estimated 122,000 individuals in the region were unemployed in January 2026, higher than the 116,000 recorded in October 2025 and the 91,000 logged in January 2025.

The PSA defines unemployed individuals as persons 15 and older who are without work, available for work, and actively seeking employment.

The increase came despite a slight improvement in labor force participation, which rose to 62.9 percent in January 2026 from 62.7 percent in October 2025 and 62.8 percent in January 2025.

This translates to about 2.21 million individuals who were either employed or actively seeking work out of the region’s 3.51 million people 15 and older.

The January 2026 figure was about 47,000 higher than the 2.16 million recorded in October 2025, and about 56,000 higher than the 2.15 million logged in January 2025.

Employment figures also posted a slight increase, with the number of employed individuals rising to 2.09 million in January 2026 from 2.05 million in October 2025 and 2.06 million in January 2025.

The region’s employment rate stood at 94.5 percent, slightly lower than the 94.6 percent recorded in October 2025 and the 95.8 percent posted in January 2025.

The PSA defines employed persons as individuals 15 and older who were either at work or had a job or business but were temporarily not at work during the reference period.

Meanwhile, underemployment in the region increased to 17.3 percent, equivalent to about 360,000 employed individuals who wanted additional hours, a second job, or a position with longer working hours during the reference period.

This was higher than the 16.3 percent, or about 334,000 individuals, posted in October 2025, although lower than the 18.6 percent, or about 383,000 individuals, recorded in January 2025.