The unemployment rate in the Philippines stood at 8.8% in February 2021, up 0.1% over the previous month, according to data from the Philippines Statistics Authority.

The 8.8% estimated unemployment rate was the third highest since April 2020 (17.6%).

The employment rate was placed at 91.2% in February 2021. In January 2021 this was estimated at 91.3%.

By broad industry group, the services sector remained dominant with a 58.4% share of the total employed persons in February 2021. This was followed by the agriculture sector with a 23.9% share, and the industry sector, which accounted for the smallest share of 17.7%.

Meanwhile, the average weekly working hours of an employed person in February 2021 was recorded at 38.9 hours, which is lower than the January 2021 average at 39.3 hours.

The country’s labour force participation rate bounced back  to 63.5% in February 2021, accounting for 47.3 million Filipinos aged 15 years and over who are either employed or unemployed. This was up from 60.5% in January 2021.