MANILA — Unemployment in the National Capital Region (NCR) increased slightly to 345,000 in 2025, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

In a media report it said that presenting the preliminary results of the Labor Force Survey (LFS) in Manila, PSA-NCR chief statistical specialist Paciano Dizon said the figure was higher than the 321,000 recorded in 2024, equivalent to a 4.8% unemployment rate.

Dizon said this means that 52 out of every 1,000 individuals in NCR were unemployed in 2025, translating to a 5.2% unemployment rate.

He noted that NCR’s jobless rate remains higher than the national average of 4.2%, placing the region among the areas with the highest unemployment alongside CALABARZON, which recorded 5.8%.

“May mga nag-a-apply pero naghihintay ng tawag. Another factor is that in 2025, maraming bagyo ang dumaan, because of bad weather,” Dizon said, citing job application delays and weather-related disruptions as contributing factors.

Employment in NCR slightly increased from 6.31 million in 2024 to 6.33 million in 2025, though the employment rate dipped to 94.8% from 95.2%.

The labor force also expanded to 6.68 million from 6.63 million, but the labor force participation rate (LFPR) slipped to 63.3% from 63.5%, remaining below the national estimate of 64.1%.

Underemployment, however, improved, declining to 384,000 in 2025 from 441,000 in 2024. The underemployment rate fell to 6.1% from 7.7%, placing NCR among the regions with the lowest underemployment alongside the Davao Region and the Negros Island Region.

By sex, Dizon said labor force participation remained higher among men at 71.7%, compared with 55.3% among women. However, employment was slightly higher among women at 95.3% versus 94.5% among men, while unemployment and underemployment were also higher among men.

Among youth aged 15 to 24, the labor force totaled 617,000, down from 670,000 in 2024. Of this, 511,000 were employed or running businesses, while 106,000 were unemployed and 35,000 were underemployed.

The Youth Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) rate stood at 10%, or about 273,000 individuals, slightly lower than 278,000 in 2024.

Among NCR cities, Parañaque City posted the highest labor force participation rate at 67.7%, while Malabon City recorded the lowest at 60.5%.

Pasig City registered the highest employment rate at 97.6%, while San Juan City had the lowest at 91.9%. San Juan also posted the highest unemployment rate at 8.1%, while Pasig recorded the lowest at 2.4%.

Muntinlupa posted the highest underemployment rate at 10.9%, while Parañaque recorded the lowest at 2.1%.

Workers employed 40 hours or more accounted for 86.5% of total employment, while average weekly work hours slightly declined to 46.6 hours.

Wage and salary earners made up the largest share of workers at 80.5%, followed by self-employed individuals at 16.8%.

The services sector remained dominant at 83.4%, followed by industry at 16.3% and agriculture at 0.3%.

Employment gains were recorded in other service activities, construction, and financial and insurance activities, while declines were seen in public administration and defense, wholesale and retail trade, and administrative and support services.

Professionals, craft workers, and managers recorded the largest occupation gains, while plant and machine operators and clerical workers posted the biggest declines.