MANILA, Philippines — At least 1.97 million Filipinos are considered unemployed in October, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Friday.

During a press briefing, National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa reported that 1.97 million Filipinos were unemployed in October, a decrease from the 2.09 million unemployed individuals recorded in the same month last year. 

In July, the number of unemployed individuals was recorded at 2.38 million, it said.

PSA noted that in terms of regions, CALABARZON had the highest unemployment rate at 5.7 percent, while the Cordillera Administrative Region boasted the lowest at just 2.3 percent.

The statistics bureau noted that in October, the employment rate had risen to 96.1 percent, surpassing the 95.8 percent rate seen in October 2023 and the 95.3 percent rate in July. 

In terms of employment levels, the number of employed persons in October reached 48.16 million, an increase from 47.79 million in October 2023 and 47.70 million in July 2024, it said.

Also in October, the PSA said that employed individuals worked an average of 41 hours per week, slightly less than the 41.2 hours in October 2023 and 41.1 hours in July this year.

Around 45,000 people, or 0.09 percent of the workforce, worked exactly one hour in October 2024. This was a small increase from 41,000 people (0.09 percent) in October 2023 but less than 53,000 (0.11 percent) in July 2024.

Increased underemployment

The underemployment rate rose to 12.6 percent in October, up from 11.7 percent in October 2023 and 12.1 percent in July.

In total, 6.08 million of the 48.16 million employed persons in October 2024 wanted more hours of work, either in their current job, an additional job, or a new job with longer hours.

The PSA defines underemployment as people who have jobs but want extra work or more hours. A high underemployment rate often shows that available jobs are of low quality.