The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) welcomed the increase in the country’s employment rate for April, describing it as a demonstration of the “remarkable resilience” of the labor market.
“The Philippine labor market continues to show its remarkable resilience with a strong employment rate of 95.9 percent in April 2025,” stated DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, referencing the latest labor report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
While this figure is slightly lower than the 96 percent recorded in April of the previous year, Laguesma noted an increase in employment from 48.354 million workers to 48.672 million, representing an increase of 317,290 workers.
“This stability mirrors the robust employment levels we saw in April of last year and remains very close to the high of 95.7 percent recorded in January 2025, a clear sign that a consistently high proportion of Filipinos are employed and contributing to our economy,” he remarked.
Laguesma emphasized that these gains highlight the dynamic growth occurring across various industries, creating promising opportunities for the dedicated and expanding workforce. According to the PSA, the industries with the largest increases in employment include administrative and support service activities, public administration and defense, agriculture and forestry, construction, and education.
The unemployment rate stood at 4.1 percent, slightly higher than the 4 percent recorded in April of the previous year. “While this is a slight uptick from 4.0 percent in April 2024, it is important to note that it represents a positive decrease from the 4.3 percent recorded in January 2025,” Laguesma added.
He pointed out that the data underscores the need to strengthen the labor force by addressing issues such as education-job mismatch, skills-job mismatch, and geographical disparities.
Laguesma affirmed that DOLE will continue to “craft effective and relevant employment policies, enhance workforce employability and skills, and broaden access to jobs and livelihood opportunities across the nation.”
Additionally, he stated that the department is focused on “fostering a truly conducive environment for sustainable and resilient businesses nationwide, always guided by the principles of tripartism, social dialogue, and meaningful sectoral consultations.”
“This integrated approach ensures that every Filipino worker and their family can look forward to a brighter, more secure future,” he concluded.