OVER a million Filipinos became underemployed in September, according to data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), even as government economists touted the decline in the number of the jobless compared to August.

The PSA data showed the number of jobless Filipinos reached 2.5 million in September 2022, a 1.78-million decline from the 4.28 million posted in September 2021.

There was also a decline of 183,000 in the number of unemployed workers compared to August, when 2.68 million Filipinos were out of work.

The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said the country’s unemployment rate significantly declined to 5 percent in September 2022 from 8.9 percent in the same period last year.

This rate, Neda said, remained largely on a par with major Asian economies and is lower compared to that of India, Indonesia, and China.