With weaker economic growth and other problems already affecting the Philippines, the unemployment rate of the nation jumped to 5.8% this past January, according to a news report by BusinessWorld.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of the BusinessWorld. Some parts in boldface…
The Philippines’ unemployment rate climbed to 5.8% in January 2026, marking its highest level in more than three years, as the labor market cooled after the holidays, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Friday.
Preliminary results from the January 2026 Labor Force Survey (LFS) showed the number of unemployed Filipinos rose to 2.96 million, from 2.17 million in the same month last year, and 2.26 million in December 2025.
PSA Assistant Secretary Divina Gracia L. Del Prado said that the January unemployment rate was the highest recorded since June 2022, when unemployment stood at 6.0%.
The January jobless rate was higher than the 4.3% in January 2025, and the 4.4% in December 2025.
“Usually in our time series, after the Christmas season, our employment rate really goes down… because there are no longer available jobs,” Ms. Del Prado told a livestreamed news briefing.
“Because in December, of course, there are lots of jobs available for our labor force. But month on month, the number of unemployed increased by 695,000. And most of the reasons for this are that people got tired — maybe they were exhausted from working in December, or believing that there are no jobs available,” she added.
The quality of employment also saw a shift, as the underemployment rate — the proportion of those with jobs but seeking more hours — stood at 13.2% in January 2026. This was a tad lower than the 13.3% underemployment rate in January 2025, but higher than the 8% in December 2025.
About 6.35 million Filipinos were considered underemployed persons in January, slightly decreased from the 6.47 million underemployed in January 2025, and 2.42 million seen in December 2025.
The country’s employment rate fell to 94.2% in January 2026, down from 95.7% in January 2025 and 95.6% in December 2025. This was also the lowest employment rate recorded since June 2022 when it stood at 94%.
The number of employed persons in January 2026 fell to 47.94 million, a decline from 48.49 million employed in the same month last year, and 49.43 million in December 2025.
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you personally know anyone who has been unemployed for the past three months? Do you consider the higher unemployment rate a sign that the economy of the Philippines could fall into a recession this year?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
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