Metro Manila, Philippines – Fewer people were jobless year-to-date in February, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Wednesday, April 8, a month before the Middle East conflict broke out.
The agency said 2.66 million people were unemployed, equivalent to 5.1% of the labor force, lower from 2.96 million (5.8%) in January.
However, unemployment figures significantly rose year-on-year, or 1.94 million in February 2025.
The PSA noted a substantial rise in employment, or 1.49 million more people gaining jobs in February, bringing total employment to over 49 million.
Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate, or the percentage of the working-age population that is either employed or actively seeking work, improved to 63.8% from 62.3% in January, representing 1.19 million people entering the workforce.
Despite the monthly gain, the participation rate remains below the 64.5% recorded in the same period last year.
The data was from an 18-day survey period on Feb. 9-28.
