Jobless Pinoys down to 1.89 M in September

The country's unemployment rate dropped in September, but the quality of jobs deteriorated, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

-  LOUELLA DESIDERIO

National Statistician Dennis Mapa said in a press conference yesterday that the preliminary results of the PSA's Labor Force Survey showed that the country's unemployment rate dipped to 3.7 percent in September from four percent the previous month and 4.5 percent in September 2023.

This translates to 1.89 million jobless Filipinos in September, lower than the 2.07 million recorded in August and the 2.26 million in September last year.

The employment rate rose to 96.3 percent in September from 96 percent in August and 95.5 percent in September a year ago.

In terms of magnitude, the number of employed Filipinos rose to 49.87 million in September from 49.15 million the previous month and 47.67 million in September 2023.

The quality of jobs in the labor market, however, worsened as the underemployment rate climbed to 11.9 percent in September from 11.2 percent in August 2024 and 10.7 percent in September last year.