‘They feel that they need extra hours pa or a new job kasi hindi ganun kalaki ‘yung income,’ national statistician Dennis Mapa says about the more than 7 million underemployed Filipinos

The latest July Labor Force Survey shows that 7,104,00 workers (15.9%) consider themselves “underemployed” – meaning that they either need more hours in their current job, a new job with more working hours, or an additional job to supplement their income.

This figure is higher than the 12.0% in June 2023 and the 13.8% in the same period last year. In fact, it’s the highest underemployment rate since November 2021, when it reached 16.6%.