THE DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment XI recorded a slight improvement in employment rates for Davao Region in April 2025.
DOLE XI regional director Randolph Pensoy attributed the positive growth to the region’s sustained investments. He also acknowledged the contribution of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program to the decrease in the jobless rate.
TUPAD, under DOLE, provides emergency employment and livelihood assistance to displaced, underemployed, and marginalized workers.
The employment rate in April 2025 climbed to 97.6%, an improvement over the 96.4% reported in the same period last year. About 2.280 million were employed, representing a 5.7% increase from 2.411 million.
The number of employed individuals grew by 131 thousand, from 2.280 million to 2.411 million, translating to a 5.7% increase. This indicates a stronger absorption of labor in the region.
Compared to January 2025, which has a 97.1% employment rate, the April 2025 rate improved by 0.5 percentage points, represented by an additional 2,000 employed persons: from 2.409 million to 2.411 million.
The Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in the region stood at 63.6% in April 2025, which is slightly higher than the 61.9% recorded in the same period last year.
This reflects an increase in the engagement of the working-age population in economic activities.
A 4.4% growth was also observed in the number of individuals participating in the labor force rose from 2.365 million to 2.470 million.
Unemployment rate, on the other hand, dropped to 2.4% from the 3.6% recorded in the same period last year.
The number of unemployed persons dropped by 31%, 85,000 to 59,000, or a reduction of 26,000 (31% drop). The underemployment rate also showed a dramatic decrease from 7.1% in April 2024 to 3.9% in April 2025.
Pensoy said the significant decline in underemployment indicates substantial improvement in job quality or adequacy of work hours compared to the previous year.
However, he stressed that underemployment is identified when individuals who are employed work less than 40 hours a week or when the individual for more than 40 hours but chooses to be employed with another.
