Jobless Pinoys decline to 2.58M in March 2026

The number of Filipinos without occupations declined in March 2026, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Wednesday.

National Statistician and PSA chief Claire Dennis Mapa announced, at a press briefing, the results of the latest PSA Labor Force Survey (PSA).

Last month, there were 2.58 million unemployed persons (ages 15 and above), down from 2.66 million in February 2026.

As a percentage of 51.65 million individuals in the labor force, the unemployment rate stood at 5%.

This means 50 in 1,000 individuals have no jobs or livelihoods during the period.

The year-to-date unemployment rate clocked in at 5.3%, exceeding the government’s ceiling of 4% to 5% for 2026 to 2028.

Meanwhile, the number of employed persons also decreased to 49.07 million from 49.43 million months ago, month-on-month.

The employment rate stood at 95%, down slightly from 94.9% in February 2026.

The Underemployed—employed individuals who express the desire to have additional hours of work in their present job, or to have an additional job, or to have a new job with longer hours of work—saw a rate of 12.3%, up from 11.8% in February 2026.

Assistance

In a separate statement, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) said the government will pursue measures to preserve jobs and provide social protection, job-skills matching, and reskilling for workers, particularly those displaced by the Middle East conflict.

“We commit to tightening the delivery of targeted assistance, such as fuel subsidies and service contracting for transport workers, farmers, and fisherfolk to improve alignment and expedite implementation. We will leverage technologies such as e-wallets and other digital platforms, where applicable, to ensure efficient delivery channels,” said DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.

The DEPDev said the government introduced regulatory relief, such as a temporary grace period of up to 6 months for loan payments and a one-year deferral for agricultural loans to alleviate conditions for farm operators and other small businesses.

Financing programs, including DOLE’s Adjustment Measures Program, Landbank’s REAL Energy+ Lending Program, and the DTI-Small Business Corporation, were also rolled out to provide further financial assistance, it said.

Moreover, the socioeconomic planning agency said the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) facilitates the provision of essential on-site support to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) affected by the Middle East crisis, including welfare assistance, legal aid, and inter-agency coordination under the Assistance-to-Nationals Program of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

The government also streamlined the repatriation of displaced OFWs through the Overseas Worker’s Welfare Administration (OWWA), with 8,139 OFWs already repatriated as of April 28.

Data from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) also indicates that there are 292,203 local and 206,272 overseas jobs available for re-employment facilitation as of the same date.

“We remain committed to ensuring the safe return and recovery of OFWs affected by the Middle East crisis through coordinated support across relevant agencies. They continue to receive assistance through reintegration programs, including livelihood assistance, skills training, and financial aid,” said Balisacan. —KG/ VAL, GMA News