By Benjamin Cuaresma
The number of unemployed Filipinos increased to 2.86 million in September as job creation failed to keep pace with the growing labor force, pushing the national unemployment rate to 5.4 percent, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The latest Labor Force Survey showed that the jobless rate climbed from 5.3 percent in August and 3.8 percent in September 2025.
National Statistician Dennis Mapa said 1.63 million Filipinos entered the labor market during the period, but only 721,000 secured employment, leaving 909,000 without jobs.
The employment rate consequently slipped to 94.6 percent from 94.7 percent in August and 96.2 percent a year earlier.
Despite the increase in unemployment, the number of employed Filipinos reached 50.32 million, while the labor force expanded to 53.19 million.
Underemployment, meanwhile, eased to 11 percent from 11.9 percent in August, representing 5.56 million workers seeking additional employment or longer working hours.
Employers Confederation of the Philippines president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. attributed sluggish hiring to economic uncertainty, saying businesses have been holding back expansion plans, limiting opportunities for job seekers.
