Jobless Pinoys down to 1.89 million in September

MANILA, Philippines —  The country’s unemployment rate dropped in September, but the quality of jobs deteriorated, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

National Statistician Dennis Mapa said in a press conference yesterday that the preliminary results of the PSA’s Labor Force Survey showed that the country’s unemployment rate dipped to 3.7 percent in September from four percent the previous month and 4.5 percent in September 2023.

This translates to 1.89 million jobless Filipinos in September, lower than the 2.07 million recorded in August and the 2.26 million in September last year.

The employment rate rose to 96.3 percent in September from 96 percent in August and 95.5 percent in September a year ago.

In terms of magnitude, the number of employed Filipinos rose to 49.87 million in September from 49.15 million the previous month and 47.67 million in September 2023.

The quality of jobs in the labor market, however, worsened as the underemployment rate climbed to 11.9 percent in September from 11.2 percent in August 2024 and 10.7 percent in September last year.

An estimated 5.94 million Filipinos were underemployed or were looking for additional hours of work or an additional job in September, higher than the previous month’s 5.48 million and the 5.11 million in September 2023.

Mapa said the number of underemployed Filipinos went up as more people want to find work because of the holiday season.

“That’s why employment increased both in rate and numbers, but not everyone was absorbed as full-time (employees),” he said.

The country’s labor force participation rate also increased to 65.7 percent in September from 64.8 percent in August 2024 and 64.1 percent in September last year.

There were 51.77 million Filipinos in the labor force in September, up from 51.22 million in August this year and 49.93 million in September a year ago.

While the recent Severe Tropical Storm Kristine may impact jobs in the agriculture sector, Mapa said certain sectors like retail trade, accommodation and food services usually see an increase in employment during the so-called “ber” months due to the holiday season.

He said both employment and  labor force participation are expected to increase during the “ber” months as certain sectors will require more workers.

He said the September data is seen as a positive sign.

“We hope this continues,” he said further.

Given the latest labor market data, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said the government would focus on enhancing job quality and improving the incomes of Filipino workers.

“We are sustaining our efforts to enhance all dimensions of our labor market. The government is urgently addressing the constraints to high-quality job creation and collaborating with the private sector to capacitate our workers with the right skills and competencies simultaneously,” NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

He said accelerating the implementation of key infrastructure projects, particularly in energy, logistics and physical and digital connectivity, remains important for the country to harness its growth potential.

“The passage of the Konektadong Pinoy Bill and expanding efforts to equip the workforce with emerging and in-demand skills are deemed necessary. We will strengthen collaboration with the private sector and academe to upskill the workforce, particularly in using digital technologies and other innovations,” he said.

He also said that the passage of the Lifelong Learning Bill and Enterprise Productivity Act would help improve the employability of the Filipino workforce.

The government is working on the 10-year Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB) Plan aimed at improving the readiness of the workforce to meet labor market demands and enhancing labor market governance.

The NEDA said the target is to finalize the TPB Plan by the end of this year.