Jobless rate hits 3-year high in July

THE PHILIPPINES’ unemployment rate rose to a three-year high of 5.3% in July as a series of typhoons and monsoon rains dented hiring activity, the statistics agency said on Wednesday.

- By Chloe Mari A. Hufana Reporter

The number of jobless Filipinos increased to 2.59 million in July from 2.38 million a year prior and 1.95 million in June, preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority's (PSA) labor force survey showed.

The 5.3% unemployment rate was the highest in three years or since the 6% in June 2022, which had reflected the impact of the pandemic lockdowns. It also matched the jobless rate seen in August 2022.

The July rate was also higher than the 4.7% recorded in the same month in 2024 and the 3.7% in June 2025.

On average, the jobless rate for 2025 thus far is at 4.1%, a tad higher compared to the 4% in the comparable year-ago period.

National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa said the jobless rate went up in July due to the impact of four typhoons and the southwest monsoon on the agricultural sector.

The Philippines experiences more tropical cyclones than any other region in the world, averaging about 20 each year. Typhoon activity is most intense from July to October, when nearly 70% of all cyclones develop, according to the country’s official weather bureau.

The agricultural sector (skilled agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers) lost 974,000 jobs year on year. In terms of major industries, the agriculture and forestry sectors lost 1.38 million.

"The agriculture sector is the contributor to the spike in unemployment due to the adverse weather conditions and multiple tropical depressions last July.

I cannot predict if this is just a one-time occurrence as there are still projections of weather disturbances this year," Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma told Business World via Viber.