Malacañang said the government remains optimistic about sustaining the slowdown in the unemployment rate, which fell to 4.7 percent equivalent to 2.41 million people last April, by continuing efforts to cushion the impact of the Middle East crisis and by attracting more investors.
This was lower compared to 5 percent unemployment rate last March, which is equivalent to 2.58 million people, during the onset of the war in the Middle East based on the latest Labor Force Survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) as the government rolled out its interventions for those affected by the conflict.
However, the latest unemployment rate figures were still higher compared to the 4.1 percent in April 2025, which is equivalent to 2.06 million.
Under the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) initiatives, the Marcos administration provided fuel and rice subsidies, service contracting, emergency employment and cash aid to workers, which were affected by the Middle East crisis.
The efforts also include reintegration services for displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFW), which includes livelihood, upskilling, as well as local or overseas placement.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the government also continues to generate quality and productive employment and enhance the skills of workers
‘Government interventions continue such as creating quality and productive jobs, encouraging investments, providing livelihoods to repatriated OFWs who have lost their jobs and those who have returned to OFWs. The results [in the labor force survey] have been good, but we will not rest on our laurels,’ Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in Filipino in a press briefing last Tuesday quoting the position of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) on the matter.
The Presidential Communications Office undersecretary said she is optimistic they can sustain the said gains in the coming months.
Quoting DEPDev Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan, she said the thrust of the government ‘is to grow the economy while creating high quality jobs, investing skills and other productivity enhancing measures addressing gaps in social protection systems and building national and local state capacity toward accessible, resilient public services.’
‘We must always be positive [when it comes to projections] because the government never stops working, especially since the President is always working, and it is absolutely necessary to give our countrymen and people what they [deserve],’ she said.