Labor groups Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO) and the Labor Education and Research Network (LEARN) on Thursday cautioned against reading too much into the recent drop in unemployment, saying the quality of jobs in the Philippines continues to deteriorate despite more Filipinos joining the workforce.
Their statements came in response to the latest Labor Force Survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which showed that the number of employed Filipinos rose to 50.1 million in August, up by more than 4 million from July’s 46.05 million.
The unemployment rate fell to 3.9 percent, or 2.03 million jobless individuals, down from 5.3 percent in July when massive floods disrupted economic activity. Still, both labor groups argued that these numbers fail to capture the persistent precarity faced by millions of workers.
‘Workers deserve more than survival jobs-they deserve secure, living-wage employment with dignity and purpose,’ said SENTRO in a statement.
‘The increase in employment amidst trade turbulence, corruption-induced flooding, and a deepening political crisis is surprisingly positive-but this reflects the resilience of Filipino workers, not any coherent government policy,’ the group added.
Article continues after this advertisement
SENTRO also warned that job generation remains mediocre, with underemployment still high and the loss of manufacturing jobs pointing to worsening deindustrialization. It urged the government to launch a robust public employment program and adopt a clear industrial policy focused on rebuilding the country’s productive base.
The PSA’s own findings support the sense of fragility in the labor market. National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa said in a press briefing that while August’s figures showed ‘broad improvement’ due to more favorable weather, the labor market remains vulnerable to external shocks-such as disasters, displacement, and extreme weather events.
‘There are risks in September because there were several storms that month,’ Mapa said. ‘While there is a substantial portion of our labor market that’s somewhat protected from such disasters, there are still components that are dependent on weather conditions.’
The services sector continued to dominate the labor market, accounting for 61.5 percent of employed persons. Agriculture made up 20.4 percent, and industry 18.1 percent. Construction, in particular, added 672,000 jobs, as projects resumed following improved weather.
The labor force participation rate rose to 65.1 percent in August from 60.7 percent in July-meaning more Filipinos were either employed or actively looking for work. The underemployment rate also dropped to 10.7 percent, or about 5.38 million individuals, from 14.8 percent the previous month. Still, LEARN said these improvements should be viewed with caution.
‘Statistics and numbers may provide a rosy picture of the national situation, but workers’ daily experiences suggest otherwise,’ LEARN said in its separate statement.
‘Many young people who have just entered the workforce feel that they do not earn enough to sustain themselves and their families,’ it added.
LEARN pointed to rising youth underemployment and persistent wage gaps, especially for women, as signs that systemic reforms are needed.
Despite a reported increase in women’s labor participation, the gender gap remains at around 20 percent, it said. The group also stressed that the unpaid burden of care work continues to weigh on women’s socioeconomic mobility.
The labor group criticized the lack of progress in addressing contractualization and securing workers’ rights. It echoed calls for a national employment policy that prioritizes the wellbeing of the working class-not just the numbers.
‘[C]hronic underemployment suggests that workers need multiple jobs to survive,’ LEARN said. ‘This is supported by the fact that minimum wages fall far below the poverty threshold.’
Both groups underscored that while the economy may be recovering on paper, true recovery must mean not just more jobs, but better ones. ‘The real measure of progress is not how many Filipinos have jobs-but how many have decent, secure, and meaningful work,’ SENTRO said. – With reports from Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral and Keith Clores/tsb