Philippine Unemployment Rate Rises to 4.8% in May, 2.5 Million Jobless

MANILA, Philippines — The number of unemployed Filipinos rose to 2.50 million in May, with the unemployment rate slightly increasing to 4.8%, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Wednesday, July 8. The unemployment rate is higher than the 3.9% recorded in the same period last year, when 2.03 million individuals were reported to be without jobs. The employment rate, meanwhile, declined to 95.2%, with 49.63 million Filipinos employed. The rate was slightly lower than the 95.3% recorded in April and the 96.1% posted in May 2025. The PSA released the May 2026 Labor Force Survey on Wednesday, July 8, highlighting a 63.8% labor force participation rate, higher than the previous month’s 62.7% but lower than the 65.8% recorded in the same period in 2025. Labor force participation counts individuals aged 15 years and above who are either employed or unemployed. The current rate translates to 52.13 million Filipinos in the labor force. Wage and salary workers comprised the majority of employed individuals in May, accounting for a 64.3% share. Among them, 79.4% were employed in the private sector, while 14.2% worked in the government or government-controlled corporations. PSA Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa said the agency has yet to determine the potential impact of wage increases in these sectors following the announced P85 wage hike in the National Capital Region. Meanwhile, 27.2% of employed individuals were self-employed without any paid employees, 6.8% remained unpaid family workers, and 1.8% were employers in family-run businesses or farms. The underemployment rate eased to 12.2% in May, lower than the 15.2% recorded in April. This translates to 6.04 million employed Filipinos seeking additional work hours, an additional job, or a new job with longer working hours to increase their income. Workers in the service sector comprised the majority, accounting for 61.8% of employed individuals. This was followed by the agriculture sector with a 19.9% share and the industry sector with an 18.3% share. This year, the number of individuals employed in administrative and support service activities increased by 329,000, reflecting growing interest in office jobs. Employment also increased in the following subsectors: mining and quarrying, by 184,000; human health and social work activities, by 173,000; fishing and aquaculture, by 170,000; and construction, by 168,000. On the other hand, employment in the agriculture and forestry subsector declined by 905,000. Decreases were also recorded in the following subsectors: other service activities, down by 442,000; public administration and defense and compulsory social security, by 213,000; wholesale and retail trade and the repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, by 141,000; and professional, scientific and technical activities, by 75,000.