By Brian Campued
The administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. remains committed to generating high-quality jobs amid the slight increase in the number of unemployed Filipinos in April 2025, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) said Friday.
According to DEPDev Usec. Rosemarie Edillon, the country’s labor market continues to show “resilience amid global headwinds” despite the unemployment rate rising to 4.1% or about 2.06 million Filipinos in April this year from 4.0% in March.
Edillon said the DEPDev remains “on track to meet our target unemployment range of 4.4 to 4.7 percent set under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.”
In a briefing, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Usec. Claire Dennis Mapa said the employment rate in April was recorded at 95.9%, equivalent to 48.67 million employed Filipinos during the month.
The sub-sectors which registered the largest increase in employment include: administrative and support service activities (+394,000); public administration and defense and compulsory social security (+262,000); agriculture and forestry (+260,000); construction (+121,000); and education (+66,000).
“These gains truly underscore the dynamic growth happening in diverse industries, creating even more promising opportunities for our dedicated and growing workforce,” Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said in a statement.
Meanwhile, underemployment rate was estimated at 14.6% in April translating to about 7.09 million employed persons who expressed the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job or to have additional job, or to have a new job with longer hours of work.
Laguesma noted that the April 2025 Labor Force Survey results offer valuable insights into the dynamic landscape of the Philippine labor market influenced by global and domestic factors. “While these statistics highlight areas where we can further strengthen our workforce, particularly in addressing the critical challenges of education-job mismatch, skills-job mismatch, and geographical disparities, they also affirm the inherent adaptability and potential of our Filipino workforce.”
Edillon said the rollout of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB) Plan 2025-2034 and the influx of new investments would help improve the country’s labor force in the coming months and years.
Through the TBP Plan, Laguesma added, the government will continue to create effective and relevant employment policies, enhance workforce employability and skills, and broaden access to jobs and livelihood opportunities for Filipinos.
“Our efforts will be focused and aimed at fostering a truly conducive environment for sustainable and resilient businesses nationwide, always guided by the principles of tripartism, social dialogue, and meaningful sectoral consultations,” the DOLE chief stated.
-jpv
