The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Friday welcomed the increase in the country’s employment rate in April, saying it shows the “remarkable resilience” of the labor market.

“The Philippine labor market continues to show its remarkable resilience with a strong employment rate of 95.9 percent in April 2025,” DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said in a statement, citing the latest labor report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Although the figure is lower than the 96 percent recorded in April last year, Laguesma said there is an increase in employment from 48.354 million workers to 48.672 million, or an increase of 317,290.

“This stability mirrors the robust employment levels we saw in April of last year and remains very close to the high of 95.7 percent recorded in January 2025, a clear sign that a consistently high proportion of Filipinos are employed and contributing to our economy,” he said.

“These gains truly underscore the dynamic growth happening in diverse industries, creating even more promising opportunities for our dedicated and growing workforce,” Laguesma added.

According to the PSA, industries with the largest increase in employment include administrative and support service activities, public administration and defense, agriculture and forestry, construction, and education.

The unemployment rate, meanwhile, was at 4.1 percent, slightly higher than the 4 percent recorded in April last year.

“While this is a slight uptick from 4.0 percent in April 2024, it is important to note that it represents a positive decrease from the 4.3 percent recorded in January 2025,” Laguesma, one of the Cabinet secretaries whose resignation was rejected by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., said.

He said the numbers also showed how to strengthen the labor force, particularly by addressing education-job mismatch, skills-job mismatch and geographical disparities.

Laguesma said DOLE will continue to “craft effective and relevant employment policies, enhance workforce employability and skills, and broaden access to jobs and livelihood opportunities across the nation.”

At the same time, Laguesma said they are also focused at “fostering a truly conducive environment for sustainable and resilient businesses nationwide, always guided by the principles of tripartism, social dialogue, and meaningful sectoral consultations.”

“This integrated approach ensures that every Filipino worker and their family can look forward to a brighter, more secure future,” he said. (PNA)