Jobless rate in PH down to 4.5% in April

MANILA  -The unemployment rate in the Philippines improved to 4.5 percent in April, from 5.7 percent in the same month last year and 4.7 percent in March 2023, with 2.26 million Filipinos available and looking for jobs, according to preliminary data at the Philippine Statistics Authority.

National Statistician Dennis Mapa said that last April, the number of jobseekers decreased by 506,000 compared with that in April 2022

The jobless rate was at 5.7 percent a year ago with 2.76 million jobseekers in April 2022, and 4.8 percent three months earlier with 2.37 million looking for jobs last January.

The industries that contributed most to reducing the ranks of the jobless were wholesale and retail trade (with 914,000 hires); accommodation and food service activities (379,000); and administrative and support service activities (345,000);

On the other hand, the industries where most jobs were lost include agriculture and forestry (shedding 290,000 workers); manufacturing (204,000), and construction (65,000);