This translated to about 1.89 million unemployed individuals, down from 2.26 million in September 2023.
Employment rate during the month reached 96.3 percent, up from 95.5 percent a year earlier. This brought the number of employed Filipinos to 49.87 million, an increase from 47.67 million in September 2023.
The labor force participation rate also rose to 65.7 percent, totaling 51.77 million individuals aged 15 and above in the labor force.
On average, employed individuals worked 40.3 hours per week in September, slightly less than the 40.8 hours recorded in September 2023. However, underemployment edged up to 11.9 percent from 10.7 percent, affecting 5.94 million workers who expressed the need for additional work or longer hours.
By sector, the services industry led in employment share at 62.8 percent, with agriculture and industry following at 19.9 percent and 17.4 percent, respectively. Administrative and support services recorded the largest increase in employment (735,000) over the past year. Conversely, the accommodation and food service sector saw a notable decrease, losing 242,000 jobs.
Among youth, the labor force participation rate rose to 33.9 percent, with a youth employment rate of 90 percent, showing positive trends compared to 2023 figures.
