Candidates attempt their luck at a job honest in Might 2017 on the SM Cebu mall. Cebu’s economic system continues to develop and with it a rise in employment within the province and the area. | CDN FILE PHOTO
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Whereas the nation’s newest labor power information exhibits a slight drop in unemployment, many Filipino employees are nonetheless struggling to make ends meet, with underemployment and low job high quality stay persistent challenges.
In an unique interview with CDN Digital, Lawyer Roy Buenafe, the regional director of the Division of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7), acknowledged that whereas the unemployment charge in Central Visayas has improved, the financial actuality for a lot of stays tough.
“It’s good that our unemployment charge has dropped barely, nevertheless it doesn’t essentially imply our economic system is already doing effectively,” Buenafe stated.
“We even have to take a look at underemployment. Many workers now want further earnings due to the excessive value of each day dwelling, particularly for our extraordinary employees — transportation, market costs, and primary wants are nonetheless rising,” he added.
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The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on March 6 that the nationwide unemployment charge eased to 4.3 % in January 2025, a slight enchancment from 4.5 % in January 2024. This interprets to 2.16 million Filipinos with out jobs, a lower from 2.18 million in the identical interval final yr.
Nevertheless, regardless of this enchancment, 6.47 million Filipinos, or 13.3 % of the labor power, stay underemployed, that means they’ve jobs however are actively searching for further work or longer hours to outlive financially.
Though this determine is barely decrease than the 13.7 % underemployment charge recorded in January 2024, it nonetheless factors to a deeper, structural problem inside the job market: employment doesn’t at all times assure monetary safety.
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Buenafe warned {that a} low unemployment charge alone shouldn’t be seen as an indication of financial success.
“We can’t say that even when unemployment is low, our economic system is already sturdy. We nonetheless should be vigilant, particularly right here in Central Visayas,” he stated.
Extra employees taking further jobs, longer hours
Information from the PSA additionally exhibits worrying traits about work hours. The common weekly hours labored dropped from 42.2 hours in January 2024 to 40.4 hours in January 2025, indicating fewer alternatives for full-time employment or time beyond regulation pay.
Alarmingly, the variety of Filipinos reporting just one hour of labor per week elevated to 59,000 this yr from 34,000 final yr, highlighting the rise of unstable, irregular work preparations.
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Economists have additionally raised considerations that whereas extra Filipinos are getting jobs, many of those are low-paying, contractual, or casual jobs that usually lack safety, social advantages, and profession development alternatives.
A current Inquirer report listed the highest high-paying and in-demand jobs within the Philippines this 2025, equivalent to Gross sales Marketing campaign Supervisor, Lead Technology Specialist, and SaaS Product Supervisor, with salaries starting from P30,000 to P180,000 per thirty days.
Nevertheless, these positions require specialised expertise and expertise, highlighting the widening hole between job seekers’ {qualifications} and market calls for.
Dole requires expertise upgrading, business shift
To handle the mismatch between accessible jobs and the abilities of the workforce, Buenafe stated the company can be pushing for stronger intervention measures.
“We actually want intervention. We should upskill and improve our workforce. Many high-paying jobs as we speak are tough to fill as a result of we lack certified candidates…We can’t simply concentrate on rising employment numbers. Now we have to make sure the standard of jobs improves too,” Buenafe defined.
Buenafe emphasised that the Philippine economic system can be shifting towards the fifth Industrial Revolution, which might demand employees with extra superior technical and digital expertise.
He additionally pressured the vital position of the training sector in reshaping the workforce to fulfill these new business calls for.
“The academe performs a vital position. TESDA, which is beneath DOLE, has aggressive applications to deal with job mismatch — an issue we’ve confronted for a very long time…We could not clear up all the things instantly, however not less than we’re engaged on stopping greater issues sooner or later,” he stated.
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