By Brian Campued
The administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. remains committed to creating and improving the quality of jobs for Filipinos as the country saw a decline in both unemployment and underemployment rates in February this year, according to Malacañang.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Tuesday reported that the number of unemployed Filipinos further decreased to 3.8% or about 1.94 million individuals in February from 4.3% in January or 2.16 million.
The underemployment rate also fell down to 10.1% or around 4.96 million Filipinos who want to have additional work hours or jobs from 13.3% in the previous month.
According to the PSA, the quality of employment continued to improve year-on-year, with more workers engaged in full-time employment (+1.7 million), middle- and high-skilled professions (+1.1 million), and remunerative wage and salaried work (+151,000).
On the other hand, National Statistician and PSA Usec. Claire Dennis Mapa noted an increase in the employment rate—rising to 96.2% in February from 95.7% in January. This is equivalent to 49.15 million employed Filipinos during the month, which was higher than the 48.49 million logged in January 2025.
Among the industries that registered the biggest month-on-month growth in employment are wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (+620,000); construction (+434,000); manufacturing (+225,000); public administration and defense and compulsory social security (+191,000); and fishing and aquaculture (+147,000).
In contrast, five sub-sectors recorded the largest drop in the number of employed Filipinos: agriculture and forestry (-520,000); administrative and support service activities (-308,000); transportation and storage (-176,000); professional, scientific, and technical activities (-90,000); and information and communication (-89,000).
Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Usec. Claire Castro assured Filipino job-hunters that the government would continue to conduct job fairs to sustain the increase in employment rate.
“Itutuloy-tuloy po natin ’yan dahil mayroon naman din po tayong programa para sa mga hiring na mga employees, ng ating mga kababayan, especially mayroon pong programa para sa mga 4Ps beneficiaries para makakuha ng on-the-spot hiring,” Castro said.
“Kung tumaas po ang employment rate, ibig pong sabihin maganda po ang nagiging palakad ng ating gobyerno para maibsan ang kahirapan ng ilan po sa atin dahil kapag po mahirapan na kumuha ng trabaho, mahihirapan din po silang makakuha ng income,” the Palace official added.
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Sec. Bienvenido Laguesma in a statement stressed that they will continue to collaborate with concerned agencies in holding “Trabaho Para sa Bagong Pilipinas” job fairs in accordance with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to promote employment and livelihood opportunities for all.
“Through targeted job fairs, we are directly connecting those graduating from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) with meaningful employment prospects. This collaborative endeavor mirrors our dedication to empowering our groups in vulnerable situations towards self-sufficiency and a stable future,” Laguesma said.
In a separate statement, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Sec. Arsenio Balisacan said the government is fast-tracking the implementation of projects that would generate high-quality jobs as well as developing a policy framework that would foster continuous learning, upskilling, and reskilling among workers.
The government is also set to launch the Trabaho Para Sa Bayan (TPB) Plan 2025-2034, which will highlight its key employment strategies to improve the labor sector and Filipino workforce.
“We will build on our momentum and intensify our efforts to secure strategic job-generating investments, promote a dynamic and innovative business environment, and diversify growth drivers,” Balisacan stated.
“The continued rollout and implementation of high-impact infrastructure flagship projects, particularly in energy, transport, and digital connectivity, will boost domestic employment and business activity,” he added. (with report from Clay Pardilla / PTV News)
-iro
