MANILA, Philippines—The number of unemployed Filipinos stood at 1.97 million in January 2025, with the Bicol Region registering the highest unemployment rate among all regions, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.

The country’s unemployment rate in January 2025 was recorded at 4.3 percent, lower than the 4.5 percent in January 2024. However, it marked an increase from the 3.9 percent unemployment rate in October 2024.

Among regions, Bicol had the highest unemployment rate at 6.5 percent, while the Zamboanga Peninsula had the lowest at 2.3 percent.

Despite the drop in the unemployment rate compared to last year, the number of unemployed individuals remained unchanged at 2.16 million in both January 2025 and January 2024. However, this was higher than the 1.97 million unemployed recorded in October 2024.

Meanwhile, the employment rate in January 2025 was at 95.7 percent, an improvement from the 95.5 percent recorded in January 2024 but slightly lower than the 96.1 percent in October 2024. The number of employed persons rose to 48.49 million in January 2025, compared to 45.90 million a year prior and 48.16 million in October 2024.

The labor force participation rate (LFPR) also improved, reaching 63.9 percent in January 2025 from 61.1 percent in January 2024. This translates to 50.65 million Filipinos aged 15 and above who were either employed or looking for work.

While employment figures showed positive gains, underemployment remained a concern, with 6.47 million Filipinos expressing the desire to work more hours or find better jobs. The underemployment rate, however, decreased to 13.3 percent from 13.7 percent in January 2024.

By industry, the services sector remained the largest employer, accounting for 61.6 percent of total employment, followed by agriculture (21.1 percent) and industry (17.2 percent).

The manufacturing sector saw the largest decline in employment, shedding 209,000 jobs in the past year, followed by professional, scientific, and technical activities (-58,000) and arts, entertainment, and recreation (-29,000).