Jobless rate up despite holiday hiring

THE Philippines' unemployment rate unexpectedly rose year on year in November 2025 despite the start of the holiday hiring season, as bad weather and job losses in key industries outweighed the usual fourth-quarter lift, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.

- By Erika Mae P. Sinaking

Preliminary results of the Labor Force Survey (LFS) put the jobless rate at 4.4% in November, up from 3.2% a year earlier, though lower than 5% in October. This translated to about 2.25 million jobless Filipinos, compared with 1.66 million in November 2024 and 2.54 million in the previous month.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma said the November figures were unexpected given the seasonal pattern of stronger hiring toward the yearend.

"Yes, I am surprised because, as you pointed out, 'ber' months are associated with increased hiring. Note, however, that the November 2025 stats are better than the October 2025 figures indicating recovery," he told Business World.

National Statistician and PSA Undersecretary Claire Dennis S. Mapa said the year-on-year weakening in the jobs market reflected weather-related disruptions and employment declines across several major sectors.

"[There were] two major typhoons in November last year, including Tinio, and their impact was widespread," he told a news briefing on Wednesday. He noted that the storms disrupted economic activity, transport and supply chains, affecting hiring and job retention across regions.

In the first 11 months of 2025, the unemployment rate averaged 4.19%, higher than the 3.9% average recorded in the same period in 2024.

The November employment data also showed mixed signals. The number of employed Filipinos rose to 49.26 million in November from 48.62 million in October, pointing to some seasonal recovery.

However, employment remained below the 49.54 million recorded in November 2024, underscoring the lingering effects of disruptions earlier in the year.

As a result, the employment rate slipped to 95.6% in November from 96.8% a year earlier, though slightly better than 95% in October.