Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said on Wednesday that the decline of the unemployment rate to 3.9 percent in August 2025 proves an ‘aggressive and successful recovery’ from the 5.3 percent unemployment rate in July 2025.
‘This is a powerful manifestation of our economy’s resilience and continued strength. This performance is even more impactful when viewed against the 5.3 percent unemployment rate in July 2025, demonstrating aggressive and successful recovery,’ Laguesma said in a statement.
Additionally, the DOLE chief said there has been a ‘strong driving job recovery and employment creation across the country,’ supplemented by the increase in employment.
The August 2025 Labor Force Survey (LFS) reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revealed that the employment rate increased by 1.4 percentage points – from 94.7 percent in July to 96.1 percent in August.
Laguesma also celebrated the increase in job quality, based on the underemployment rate, which lowered from 14.8 percent in July to 10.7 percent in August, according to PSA data.
This shows more workers transitioning from ‘insufficient and inadequate part-time work to substantially more permanent employment,’ DOLE reported.
According to the LFS, the service sector remains dominant in the employment landscape, accounting for 61.5 percent of the workforce. DOLE also noted recovery in the agriculture sector, with 20.4 percent of the labor force, as well as the industry sector, with 18.1 percent of the labor force.
With this, Laguesma vowed that DOLE will ‘scale up’ its pre-employment and internship programs, as well as its collaborations with Public Employment Service Offices, the private sector, and government agencies to organize more job fairs nationwide.
Furthermore, he highlighted the government agency’s partnerships with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for insights on jobs and the economy, and the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines for youth employability in the IT and business process management sector.
The agency also recently recommitted to sustainable jobs, saying it will ‘focus on implementing the Framework and Action Plan for Green Jobs’ that was discussed in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Green Jobs Forum on August 27-28 in Malaysia. ‘DOLE will remain steadfast in its commitment to efficient, honest, and transparent public service in the implementation of our programs, projects, and activities,’ Laguesma added.