Manila: Employment rate in the Philippines rose to 96.3 percent in June 2025 from month-ago's 96.1 percent, driven by more people hired in the services sector. Data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Wednesday showed that around 50.47 million Filipinos were employed last June, up from 50.29 million in the previous month.
According to Philippines News Agency, most of these, at around 61.4 percent, are in the services sector, followed by those in the agriculture, 20.9 percent and the industry sector, 17.7 percent. Employment rate in June 2024 was at 96.9 percent. Underemployment in June this year also improved after it went down to 11.4 percent from 13.1 percent last May and year-ago's 12.1 percent. Unemployment rate slipped to 3.7 percent last June from the previous month's 3.9 percent, but higher compared to year-ago's 3.1 percent. Labor force participation rate stood at 65.7 percent last June, lower than year-ago's 66 percent and month-ago's 65.8 percent.
Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, in a statement, noted the decline in both the underemployment rate and unemployment rate last June. 'These gains reflect the impact of our sustained efforts to improve the overall business climate and create high-quality jobs,' he said. Balisacan, on the other hand, said economic officials 'remain cautious due to the slight uptick in unemployment, particularly among the youth.' 'To address this, we are committed to enhancing workforce competitiveness by aligning education and training systems with industry needs and accelerate interventions to improve school-to-work transitions and youth employability,' he said.
The DEPDev also underscored the reforms targeted to improve workforce development such as the Enterprise-Based Education and Training (EBET) Framework Act, the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP), and the proposed Lifelong Learning Development Framework Bill. Other government measures aimed to ensure employment of working-aged Filipinos are the Special Program for the Employment of Students, the Government Internship Program, the JobStart Philippines Program, and strengthened partnerships with local governments' Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) and school-based Job Placement Offices.
'These strategic efforts are part of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan, our long-term blueprint for generating inclusive and high-quality employment. Through a nationwide roadshow, we are working closely with local governments, industry partners, and training institutions to ensure the effective implementation of key reforms,' Balisacan added.
