The Philippines’ unemployment rate slightly declined to 5 percent in March 2026 from 5.1 percent in February, despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
This translates to 2.58 million jobless Filipinos in March, down from 2.66 million in February, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The drop in unemployment figures coincided with a smaller labor force, which fell to 51.65 million, equivalent to a participation rate of 63.3 percent.
Employment also eased, with 49.07 million Filipinos employed in March, compared to 49.43 million in February, the PSA said.
This brought the employment rate to 95 percent in March, slightly lower than 94.9 percent in the previous month.
Meanwhile, PSA data showed that 6.03 million employed Filipinos were seeking additional work for extra income, higher than the 5.84 million recorded in February. — Photo from Reuters
