Philippines Unemployment Rate Rises to 4.8 Percent in May

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the national unemployment rate rose to 4.8 percent in May 2026, representing approximately 2.5 million jobless Filipinos. This marks an increase from 4.7 percent in April 2026 and 3.9 percent in May 2025. The total number of employed persons in May stood at 49.63 million, which is a decrease from the 50.29 million recorded in May of the previous year.

National Statistician Dennis Mapa presented the Labor Force Survey findings, noting that the labor force participation rate was 63.8 percent, involving 52.13 million Filipinos aged 15 and older. While unemployment rose, the underemployment rate improved, dropping to 12.2 percent from 15.2 percent in April. The services sector remained the primary employer at 61.8 percent of total employment, while agriculture and forestry saw the steepest decline with 905,000 year-on-year job losses.

John Paolo Rivera of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies described the data as a mixed picture. He observed that while labor demand remains resilient, job creation has not kept pace with the growth of the labor force, stating that the challenge is no longer just creating jobs, but creating enough quality and productive jobs that provide stable incomes.