More Filipinos were employed in August as unemployment and underemployment declined, but labor coalition Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (Sentro) called for more decent jobs and higher wages, saying the latest labor figures also raised concerns about the quality of employment and workers’ purchasing power.
The number of employed Filipinos rose to 49.79 million in August from 49.21 million in July, while unemployment fell to 5.3% from 6% and underemployment declined to 11.9% from 12.9%, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In a statement Wednesday, Sentro welcomed the improvement but said the employment figures should also be examined alongside the types of work being generated and the number of hours workers are getting.
‘From July to August, the largest increase in employment by class of worker came among those who worked without pay in their own family-operated farm or business-the so-called unpaid family workers. This was followed by the self-employed and then those who worked for private households,’ the labor coalition said.
It said the same pattern was seen in the annual change from August 2025 to August 2026, with unpaid family workers recording the largest increase, followed by self-employed workers without employees and those working for private households.
‘This tells us something important about the nature of the employment being generated. An increase in the number of employed Filipinos does not necessarily mean an increase in the number of Filipinos finding stable, adequately paid jobs,’ the group said.
The labor coalition also pointed to the decline in working hours. The average Filipino worker worked 39.2 hours a week in August, down from 40.6 hours in July and 41 hours a year earlier.
‘So the question is no longer simply whether Filipinos have jobs. The question is whether those jobs provide enough work and enough income to live decently,’ Sentro said.
The latest labor figures came as inflation accelerated sharply in September.
The PSA reported that headline inflation rose to 7.2% in September from 6.1% in August, with food inflation reaching 6.7% and transport inflation accelerating to 14.6%.
Inflation was even higher among households in the bottom 30% income group, rising to 9% in September from 8.2% in August.
According to the PSA, inflation for households in the bottom 30% income group in the National Capital Region (NCR) accelerated to 5.7% in September from 4.3% in August. Outside the NCR, it also increased to 9.1% from 8.4% over the same period.
Sentro said the combination of fewer working hours and rising prices was putting additional pressure on workers’ incomes.
‘The government should not be satisfied with simply counting jobs,’ the group said. ‘The real measure of employment recovery must be whether jobs provide workers with enough income to feed their families, pay their bills and live decently.’
Sentro reiterated its call for an immediate ?200 across-the-board national wage increase, saying it would help restore workers’ purchasing power and support domestic consumption.
It also called for a stronger industrial policy backed by public investment, a public employment program, greater protection for workers in informal, precarious and platform-based employment, and the convening of a national dialogue on the cost-of-living crisis.
The group said the proposed dialogue should bring together workers, employers, transport workers, farmers, consumers and government representatives to discuss rising prices, wages and household incomes.
Sentro also urged the government to consider faster wage adjustments when inflation accelerates, provide income support during major external shocks, protect workers and commuters from fuel and transport price increases, and strengthen domestic food production.
‘The August LFS tells us that Filipinos are willing to work,’ Sentro said. ‘The challenge is whether the economy can provide them with enough work, decent wages and secure livelihoods.’