The number of jobless Filipinos dropped to 1.96 million in September 2025, down from 2.03 million in August, according to the latest Labor Force Survey (LFS) released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Thursday, November 6.
PSA chief and National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa noted, however, that the latest figure remains slightly higher than the 1.89 million recorded in September 2024.
“Ang unemployed persons o bilang ng nasa labor force na walang trabaho o negosyo nitong Setyembre ay nasa 1.96 million,” Mapa said, adding that “ito ay mas mataas kumpara sa naitalang bilang ng unemployed persons noong Setyembre 2024 na nasa 1.89 milyon, ngunit mas mababa naman kumpara noong Agosto 2025 na nasa 2.03 milyon.”
The country’s unemployment rate stood at 3.8%, equivalent to 38 out of every 1,000 workers without jobs or businesses — slightly down from 3.9% in August, but a bit higher than 3.7% a year earlier.
Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate slipped to 64.5% from 65.1% in August and 65.7% in September 2024. The number of employed persons reached 49.6 million, down by 494,000 month-on-month and 270,000 year-on-year.
Employment growth was driven mainly by the construction sector, which added 514,000 workers, followed by fishing and aquaculture (313,000), accommodation and food service (307,000), human health and social work (183,000), and agriculture and forestry (126,000).
Overall, 61.3% of employed Filipinos worked in the services sector, 20.9% in agriculture, and 17.8% in industry.
The number of underemployed individuals — those with jobs seeking additional income — reached 5.52 million, up by 142,000 from August but 421,000 fewer than the same month in 2024. The underemployment rate rose slightly to 11.1% from 10.7% in August, but remained below 11.9% a year earlier.