By Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Wednesday the employment rate in August, pegged at 96.1 percent, shows the country’s growing economy and resilience.
In a statement, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma noted that the latest employment data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed an impressive performance.
“Coming from a series of successive typhoons, the August 2025 Labor Force Survey (LFS) report from the PSA reveals an impressive performance, as the employment rate reached 96.1 percent in August 2025, higher than the 96.0 percent recorded in August 2024,” he said.
“More importantly, said employment rate is a significant leap from the 94.7 percent recorded in July 2025, highlighting the strong driving job recovery and employment creation across the country and confirming that more Filipinos are participating in the labor market.”
He also noted that the unemployment rate of only 3.9 percent is a powerful manifestation of the country’s economic resiliency and continued strength.
“This performance is even more impactful when viewed against the 5.3 percent unemployment rate in July 2025, demonstrating an aggressive and successful recovery,” he added.
Laguesma also pointed out that the improvement in the quality of jobs “indicates that the country is transitioning more workers from insufficient and inadequate part-time work to substantial, more permanent, and decent employment.”
“The structure of our employment landscape reflects a dynamic and diverse economy. The Services sector remains the engine of our employment, accounting for the largest share at 61.5 percent. This dominance is a testament to the growth in high-value, people-centric industries. The recovery and stability provided by Agriculture (20.4 percent) and the solid contribution from the Industry sector (18.1 percent) ensure a well-rounded and resilient national economy,” he said.
The DOLE chief also pledged to pursue actively the implementation and scaling up of DOLE’s pre-employment and internship programs through the Special Program for the Employment of Students, the Government Internship Program (GIP), and Jobstart Philippines.
“In order to equip our youth with real-life experiences, practical skills, and essential work ethics, collaboration with the PESOs, the private sector, and stakeholders, and convergence with national government agencies through massive expansion and regular conduct of our job fairs and employment services nationwide will be strengthened and undertaken,” he said.
Meanwhile, Laguesma also reported that DOLE and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recently formalized a partnership through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance the generation of reliable and timely insights on jobs and the economy.
He added that the department has also formalized a significant partnership with the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines to enhance youth employability and expand employment opportunities within the growing IT and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector.
“This partnership directly supports the administration’s goal of uplifting Filipino lives by building a resilient economy, focusing on activities like matching JobStart trainees with relevant skills, aiding displaced workers in transitioning to in-demand jobs, and promoting the DOLE Adjustment Measures Program to support business projects in micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that will generate more quality jobs,” Laguesma said. (PNA)
