Halos 3 Million Pinoy ang Walang Trabaho — Unemployment Rate Tumaas sa 5.8%, Pinakamataas Since 2022

Hindi magandang balita para sa Philippine labor market: the country's unemployment rate surged to 5.8 percent in January 2026, the highest level recorded since June 2022, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Roughly 2.96 million Filipinos out of the 80.89 million labor force were jobless at the start of the year — a massive jump from the 2.17 million unemployed during the same period in 2025, when the rate was just 4.3 percent. That's nearly 800,000 more Pinoys left without work in just 12 months.

The hardest-hit sector was agriculture and forestry, which shed a staggering 1.4 million jobs compared to a year ago. Wholesale and retail trade also took a hit, losing 729,000 positions. On the brighter side, administrative and support services gained 403,000 jobs, while public administration added 342,000.

The services sector remained the biggest employer, accounting for 63.6 percent of all jobs, followed by industry at 18.3 percent and agriculture at 18.1 percent. Underemployment was slightly lower at 13.2 percent, compared to 13.3 percent in January 2025.

DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan acknowledged the challenges ahead, especially with rising oil prices due to Middle East tensions putting more pressure on the economy. "Strategic policies are needed to bolster labor market resilience," he said. With the global oil crisis threatening to make things worse, the road to recovery para sa mga jobless na Pinoy is looking tougher than ever.

Source: Philstar.com