Jobless rate climbs to 5% in October

The number of unemployed Filipinos rose to 2.54 million in October from the previous month’s 1.96 million, while job quality worsened, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

- By BRIX LELIS

Photo shows applicants at a jobs fair in Makati.

PSA head Claire Dennis Mapa reported yesterday that the unemployment rate climbed to five percent in October from 3.8 percent in September and 3.9 percent a year earlier, when 1.97 million Filipinos were jobless.

This translates to 50 out of every 1,000 Filipinos aged 15 and above having no work or business in October.

Mapa attributed the rise in the jobless rate to the increased number of Filipinos who entered the labor force during the month.