AN OFFICIAL of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is optimistic about the improvement of labor participation in the last quarter of 2025, given the seasonal uptick in demand.
National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa, in a briefing on Thursday for the September 2025 labor force participation figures, said around 50 million Filipinos were employed in December 2024, higher than the average in previous months.
He attributed this to an uptick in demand for several sub-sectors due to the holidays.
“Yes, the holiday season, going into the fourth quarter, would have an additional increase in terms of workers,” he said.
For September, the employment rate improved to 96.2 percent from the previous month’s 96.1 percent, but was lower than the year-ago rate of 96.3 percent.
Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR), with coverage of those aged 15 and up, slipped to 64.5 percent from 65.7 percent last September. Year-ago level is also higher at 65.1 percent.
Mapa attributed this to a lower number of students who were part of the labor force during their school break but had to resign from work to go back to school; those who said they need to prioritize family duties are normally those employed as household help; and those who are still waiting for a call from their job applications.
He said employment as household help, under the domestic services, is among the main reasons for the drop in labor participation, after the number fell by around 573,000.
The PSA data also showed that the domestic employment rate improved to 96.2 percent in September from the month-ago’s 96.1 percent, even with the drop in LFPR. / PNA