MANILA, Philippines – The number of unemployed Filipinos actively in the labor force grew to 2.15 million in January 2024, more than the 1.6 million in December 2023 as job opportunities generated during the Christmas season waned.

Of the 48.09 million Filipinos in the labor force, the unemployment rate reached 4.5%, more than the 3.6% in December 2023, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority on Friday, March 8.

However, this relative drop between months shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise, given the seasonality of certain jobs during the holidays.

National Statistician Dennis Mapa said this could be partly explained by the additional but temporary economic activities generated during the holidays. For instance, unpaid family workers who have been helping out in bazaars and stores might now have opted back out of the labor force to return to school or household duties.