The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday said the country’s 96.1 percent employment rate in August 2025 reflects a growing and resilient economy.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma lauded the positive results from the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) August 2025 Labor Force Survey, which showed an increase from 96.0 percent in August 2024 and a significant jump from 94.7 percent in July 2025.
“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,” Laguesma said.
He added that the 3.9 percent unemployment rate highlights the country’s continued economic strength and recovery. “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 noted.
Laguesma also emphasized improvements in job quality, noting that more workers are shifting from part-time to stable and decent employment. The services sector continues to lead with 61.5 percent of total employment, followed by agriculture (20.4 percent) and industry (18.1 percent), reflecting a balanced and diverse economy.
To sustain job growth, DOLE will expand its Special Program for the Employment of Students, Government Internship Program (GIP), and JobStart Philippines, in collaboration with PESOs, the private sector, and national agencies through job fairs and employment services.
Laguesma also announced new partnerships with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to enhance labor data analysis, and with the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) to strengthen youth employability and opportunities in the 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 MSMEs that will generate more quality jobs,” Laguesma said.