The country’s unemployment rate edged up to 5.4% in September 2026 from 5.3% in August, translating to approximately 2.86 million jobless Filipinos, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The latest figure represents an increase from the 2.77 million unemployed individuals recorded in August. It is also higher than the 3.8% unemployment rate registered in September 2025. According to the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) on September 2026, the government expected unemployment to ease in the second half of 2026 due to overall economic activity improvement and infrastructure spending picking up.
Meanwhile, the number of employed Filipinos reached 50.32 million, up from 49.79 million in August. The labor force participation rate also increased to 64.5% from 64%, representing 53.19 million Filipinos aged 15 and above in the labor force.