MANILA – The Philippines saw a rise in unemployment, with the rate reaching 3.9% in March, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Claire Dennis Mapa, national statistician and head of the PSA, revealed during a press conference that the number of unemployed individuals aged 15 and older increased to 2 million from 1.8 million the previous month. The figures indicate an increase of 205,000 in the number of unemployed people in the Philippines from February to March 2024.

Despite this, however, current unemployment figures are still lower compared to the same period last year, when 2.42 million Filipinos were jobless. The March 2024 stats show an improvement year-over-year.

The PSA noted that the underemployment rate was 11%, a decrease from 12.4% in February 2024 and slightly less than the 11.2% rate in March 2023. Furthermore, out of 49.15 million employed individuals, 5.39 million expressed a wish for more work or hours in February 2024. The number was down from 6.08 million the previous month, indicating a reduction in the number of people seeking additional employment.

According to the agency, the sectors of agriculture and forestry, transportation and storage, construction, and administrative and support services experienced significant job losses from February to March.

• Agriculture and forestry lost 318,000 jobs
• Transportation and storage – 292,000
• Construction – 214,000
• Administrative and support services – 118,000

Meanwhile, the country’s employment rate reached 96.1%, translating to 49.15 million Filipinos. This represents a notable improvement from February 2024, when there were 48.95 million employed individuals. Essentially, there was an increase in the number of people with jobs over the month.

The sectors of public administration and defense, manufacturing, information and communication, and accommodation and food services saw the most significant job growth.

• Employment in public administration and defense increased by 606,000
• Manufacturing – 351,000
• Information and communication – 159,000
• Accommodation and food service – 110,000 jobs.

Additionally, wage and salary workers made up the majority of the employed population, accounting for 64.2% of all employed individuals as of February 2024.