Jobless rate eases to 5.1% in February

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April 9, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —  The country’s unemployment rate declined in February from the previous month as new jobs opened, but the Middle East conflict is seen to pose risks to the labor market, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

National Statistician Dennis Mapa said in a press conference yesterday that results of the PSA’s Labor Force Survey showed that the unemployment rate went down to 5.1 percent in February this year from the previous month’s 5.8 percent, but stayed above the 3.8 percent posted in February last year.

In terms of magnitude, an estimated 2.66 million Filipinos were unemployed in February, lower than the previous month’s 2.96 million, but higher than the 1.94 million in February 2025.

While labor demand typically declines in January following the holiday season, Mapa said new jobs became available in February.

For the first two months of the year, he said the number of unemployed Filipinos reached 2.8 million, higher than the 2.05 million in the same period in 2025.

“We have risks moving forward because of the crisis. Definitely, there will be some impact on our economic activities,” Mapa said.

The employment rate rose to 94.9 percent in February from 94.2 percent in the previous month, but declined from 96.2 percent in the same period last year.

This translates to 49.43 million employed Filipinos in February, up from the previous month’s 47.94 million and 49.16 million in February 2025.

The underemployment rate, meanwhile, declined to 11.8 percent in February from 13.2 percent in the previous month, but went up from 10.1 percent in the same month last year.

An estimated 5.84 million Filipinos expressed desire to have additional hours of work or an additional job in February. This was lower than the 6.35 million underemployed Filipinos in the previous month, but higher than the 4.96 million underemployed in February 2024.

Amid the Middle East conflict, the  Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) said the government continues to step up efforts to protect the domestic labor market.

DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said that the geopolitical conflict is expected to continue to affect global and domestic economic conditions and disrupt labor markets.

“Recent developments highlight the urgency to strengthen the resilience of our labor market. We must ensure that our policies and programs respond effectively to rapidly changing global conditions, especially for affected and displaced Filipino workers here and abroad,” he said.

Given the risks, the government is implementing strategic measures identified by the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport or UPLIFT Committee under Executive Order 110.

“The measures aim to safeguard the national interest by mitigating the impact of the conflict and ensuring the stability or continuity of essential services, sustaining economic activity and supporting incomes amid rising fuel costs,” Balisacan said.

The government is also providing cash assistance and fuel subsidies  to vulnerable sectors.

In addition, the Department of Agriculture is mobilizing its P1 billion quick response fund for fuel subsidies and biofertilizer procurement.

The government also continues to promote renewable energy and electric vehicle ecosystems.

“We expect an accelerated transition toward other sources of fuel and energy. Thus, we are building the skills, investment and innovation ecosystem to support this move,” Balisacan said.

“Skills training programs on the operations and maintenance of renewable energy facilities and electric vehicles, including the needed parts and components, will also be provided to displaced workers,” he added.