Manila: The Marcos Jr. administration will ramp up efforts to preserve jobs and provide social protection, job-skills matching, and reskilling for workers, particularly those displaced by the Middle East conflict, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) has said.
According to Philippines News Agency, results of the Philippine Statistics Authority's (PSA) latest Labor Force Survey released on Wednesday showed that the labor force participation rate (LFPR) was recorded at 63.3 percent, higher than the 62.9 percent in March 2025 but lower than the 63.8 percent recorded last February. In a briefing, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said the March 2026 LFPR translates to 51.65 million Filipinos aged 15 years and above who were in the labor force.
The country's unemployment rate slightly fell to 5 percent in March from 5.1 percent in February. It was, however, higher than the 3.9 percent recorded in March 2025. The number of unemployed Filipinos during the month went down to 2.58 million from 2.66 million in February. Compared to its Asian peers, the Philippines' unemployment rate is lower than that of China (5.4 percent) and India (5.1 percent), but higher than Malaysia (2.9 percent) and Vietnam (2.2 percent).
The number of employed Filipinos was 49.07 million, while the employment rate settled at 95 percent. Underemployment, meanwhile, decreased to 12.3 percent in March this year from the 13.4 percent recorded in March 2025.
DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the government will ensure business and service continuity by accelerating strategic interventions, as prolonged conflict in the Middle East has raised the prices of fuel and other inputs, adversely affecting production and employment. 'We commit to tightening the delivery of targeted assistance, such as fuel subsidies and service contracting for transport workers, farmers, and fisherfolk to improve alignment and expedite implementation. We will leverage technologies, such as e-wallets and other digital platforms, where applicable, to ensure efficient delivery channels,' he said.
To help farm operators and other small businesses, the government earlier approved the grant of a temporary grace period of up to six months for loan payments, a one-year deferral for agricultural loans, and rolled out financing programs, such as the Department of Labor and Employment's Adjustment Measures Program, Landbank's REAL Energy+ Lending Program.
Under the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT), the government is also providing essential on-site support to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) affected by the Middle East crisis, including welfare assistance, legal aid, and inter-agency coordination under the Assistance-to-Nationals Program of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The government also streamlined the repatriation of displaced OFWs through the Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration, with 8,139 OFWs already repatriated as of April 28.
DEPDev, citing data from the Department of Migrant Workers, said that 292,203 local and 206,272 overseas jobs are available for re-employment facilitation. 'We remain committed to ensuring the safe return and recovery of OFWs affected by the Middle East crisis through coordinated support across relevant agencies. They continue to receive assistance through reintegration programs, including livelihood assistance, skills training, and financial aid,' Balisacan said.
