The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the May 2026 Labor Force Survey shows a “resilient” Philippine labor market, with employed Filipinos rising by about 740,000 to 49.63 million, even as the unemployment rate also climbed to 4.8% from 3.9% a year earlier.
A mixed picture in the numbers
The unemployment rate translates to 2.5 million jobless Filipinos in May, up from 2.03 million a year earlier, even as the underemployment rate fell 12.2%, with about 1.16 million fewer workers seeking additional hours or a second job.
DOLE attributed the improvements to “sustained government interventions to improve job quality, strengthen workforce competitiveness, and expand employment opportunities” amid global and domestic economic uncertainty.
“The challenge before us is no longer simply creating jobs,” said acting Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino. “We must create quality jobs that provide decent incomes, encourage productivity, and prepare Filipinos for the jobs of tomorrow.”
SENTRO questions the quality behind the numbers
Labor group Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO) pushed back on the framing, Inquirer reported, noting the employment rate itself slipped to 95.2% from 96.1% a year earlier. Sentro said most of the newly created jobs came from industries “where contractual and project-based work remains widespread,” pointing to accommodation and food services, administrative and support services, and construction as examples.
Sentro secretary general Josua Mata called it “the same old story.” “The numbers may shift from month to month, but the structure of our labor market remains unchanged,” he said.
He added that the economy “continues to generate jobs that are insecure, low-quality, and unable to provide workers and their families with lasting economic security.”
Administrative and support services, the category under which much of the Philippines’ BPO and back-office workforce is classified, was one of the sectors Sentro flagged, though the group raised it as an example of precarious job growth rather than DOLE citing it as a strength.
What comes next
DOLE said it plans to improve the country’s workforce through initiatives including labor education for graduating students, expanded nationwide job fairs, and closer coordination with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority on skills training.
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Villanueva, G. (2026, July 9). Dole: Time to prioritize both quality and quantity of jobs. Inquirer.net. Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2260241/dole-time-to-prioritize-both-quality-and-quantity-of-jobs
