FEWER Filipinos were jobless in November with the overall labor market situation having improved despite the impact of several typhoons, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported on Wednesday.
Unemployment dropped to 4.4 percent — equivalent to 2.25 million Filipinos without jobs — from October’s three-month high of 5.5 percent or 2.54 million. It was, however, higher compared to November 2024’s 3.2 percent or 1.66 million.
Underemployment — which counts those looking for more work or an extra job — declined to 10.4 percent from 12.0 percent and 10.8 percent a month and year earlier, respectively.
The number of underemployed individuals stood at 5.11 million in November, lower than the 5.81 million seen in October and the year-ago 5.35 million.
Employment recorded an uptick to 95.6 percent from 95.0 percent a month earlier but was lower than the 96.8 percent seen in November.
The number of individuals with jobs rose to 49.26 million from 48.62 million month on month. The figure was a higher 49.54 million in November 2024.
The labor force participation rate — the percentage of the working-age population (those 15 years old and above) who have jobs or are actively looking for work — edged up to 64 percent from 63.6 percent in October but was slightly lower compared to the year-earlier 64.6 percent.
Wage and salary workers made up the majority of employed persons in November, accounting for 63.4 percent of total employment. This was followed by the self-employed at 27.8 percent, unpaid family workers at 7.2 percent and employers in family-operated farms or businesses at 1.6 percent.
Private establishments accounted for 77.8 percent of all wage and salary workers and 49.4 percent of total employment. The government or state-owned firms held a 14.8-share of wage and salary workers and 9.4 percent of total employment.
The services sector accounted for 62.1 percent of total employment, followed by agriculture (20.0 percent) and industry (17.9 percent).
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said that job losses for the month were concentrated in subsectors hit hardest by the typhoons, which disrupted economic activity and affected more than 800,000 workers.
These included accommodation and food service activities, where 309,000 jobs were lost; wholesale and retail trade, including the repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, with 258,000 affected; and other service activities, which saw around 250,000 workers displaced.
Balisacan said the government would be helping businesses prepare for severe weather by supporting the development and implementation of business continuity and resiliency plans to reduce disruptions and protect workers.
He added that the Department of Economy, Planning and Development was also pushing for the full implementation of the Philippine Innovation Act to promote innovation, create more entrepreneurs and generate more jobs.
“The government is prioritizing investments in skills development, lifelong learning and social protection systems to enable workers to transition across sectors and withstand economic shocks,” Balisacan said.
“Strengthening workforce competitiveness is one of the key elements to attract investments that generate quality jobs,” he added.
Source: Unemployment eases to 4.4%
