THE latest PSA figures remind us that the Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB) plan must be implemented with greater urgency. Unemployment rose to 4.9 percent in June 2026 or 2.59 million Filipinos from 3.7 percent or 1.95 million Filipinos a year ago.
The TPB Act, which we principally authored and sponsored in the Senate, seeks to ensure that no Filipino is forced to choose between taking any available job and securing stable, decent, and quality employment that can truly support a family by establishing a long-term national strategy for job creation.
The biggest losses came from sectors that employ millions of Filipinos. Wholesale and retail trade shed 903,000 jobs, while fisheries and aquaculture lost 467,000 jobs year-on-year. Although agriculture and forestry posted gains during the month, the sector remains highly vulnerable to typhoons and other weather-related disruptions that can quickly affect production and employment.
Equally concerning is the decline in youth employment, with the employment rate for young Filipinos falling from 90.6 percent to 86.5 percent despite more of them entering the labor force.
These numbers represent families struggling to make ends meet, graduates searching for their first opportunity, and workers uncertain about where their next paycheck will come from.
Part of what is dragging down job generation is simply the cost of doing business, and wholesale and retail trade feels this most directly like high fuel prices, electricity system loss charges passed on to consumers, and red tape at every checkpoint along the supply chain.
We urge the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development to fast-track the implementation of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan across all regions and strengthen coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and other concerned government agencies. The sectors that are losing jobs today need immediate attention so that more Filipinos can find decent work, earn a living wage, and provide a better future for their families.
