Philippines' jobless rate rises to 5.3 per cent in July

Manila, Sep 10 The Philippines' unemployment rate increased to 5.3 per cent in July from 3.7 per cent in June, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Wednesday.

PSA Chief Dennis Mapa said at a press conference that an estimated 2.59 million Filipinos were out of work in July, higher than the number of unemployed individuals in July last year at 2.38 million, Xinhua News Agency reported.

In July 2024, the unemployment rate was 4.7 per cent, the PSA said.

Meanwhile, the Philippines' manufacturing output declined in July, with the value of the production index (VaPI) declining 1.3 per cent year-on-year from a 1.2 per cent annual increase in June, the PSA said on September 9.

In July 2024, the VaPI for manufacturing recorded an annual increase of 6.6 per cent.

The PSA said the downtrend in the annual rate of VaPI for manufacturing in July 2025 was mainly attributed to the slowdown in the annual increase in the manufacture of food products.

Out of the 22 industry divisions for the manufacturing section, the PSA said the manufacture of food products was the industry division with the highest weight in the computation of VaPI for manufacturing.

The VoPI also decreased by 1.1 per cent in July from a 1.6 per cent increase in the previous month. In July 2024, the VoPI for manufacturing registered an annual increment of 7 per cent.

The PSA said the downtrend in the year-on-year growth rate of VoPI for manufacturing in July 2025 was primarily driven by slower increases in the manufacture of food products, the manufacture of computer, electronic, and optical products, and the manufacture of transport equipment.

Of the remaining 19 industry divisions, 10 posted annual decrements in July 2025. Meanwhile, nine industry divisions exhibited yearly increases in their VoPI for manufacturing during the period.

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