Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the number of unemployed Filipinos was estimated at 4.0% or 2.04 million, lower than the 2.26 million (4.5%) in the same month last year and the 2.14 million recorded in January this year (4.5%).
The PSA's report, released on Thursday, brings positive news about the employment situation. The number of employed persons in April 2024 was estimated at 48.36 million, a significant increase from the 48.06 million in April 2023 and the 45.94 million in January 2024.
In addition, the report added that the number of employed Filipinos increased to 96.0 percent in April this year, from 95.5 percent in both April 2023 and January 2024.
The services sector emerged as the leading provider of jobs, contributing nearly 1.7 million jobs or 61.4% of the total employment. Agriculture followed at 20.3% and industry at 18.3%, showcasing a diverse employment landscape in the Philippines.
The accommodation and food service activities sub-sector saw the highest year-on-year increase in jobs at 638,000. This was followed by construction (378,000), transportation and storage (289,000), manufacturing (285,000), and other service activities (200,000).
Meanwhile, the PSA said that the labor force participation rate (LFPR) in April was 64.1%, lower than the estimated LFPR in April 2023, which was 65.1%. In January 2024, the LFPR was estimated at 61.1%.
"The reported LFPR in April 2024 translates to a total of 50.40 million Filipinos aged 15 years old and over who were in the labor force or those who were either employed or unemployed. The number of individuals aged 15 years and over in the labor force was 50.31 million in April 2023 and 48.09 million in January 2024," the PSA added.
On average, employed persons worked 40.5 hours per week. This was higher than the average hours worked in April 2023 at 36.9 hours but lower than those in January 2024 at 42.1 hours.
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