The Cordillera region’s labor force shrank by around 10,000 workers in 2025, with job losses recorded particularly in the retail and mining sectors amid slower economic growth, according to the latest Labor Force Survey presented during a forum on Thursday, May 21.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that Cordillera’s labor force participation rate fell to 63.8 percent in 2025, equivalent to around 832,000 workers. This was lower than the 65 percent, or 842,000 workers, recorded in 2024.
The labor force participation rate refers to the share of the working-age population that is either employed or actively looking for work.
Despite the decline in the size of its labor force, Cordillera posted the highest employment rate in the country at 97.3 percent, equivalent to about 810,000 employed persons in 2025.
Davao Region followed with an employment rate of 97.1 percent, while Cagayan Valley recorded 96.9 percent.
Cordillera also registered the lowest unemployment rate nationwide at 2.7 percent. However, the number of unemployed persons in the region still rose by 2,000, from 21,000 in 2024 to 23,000 in 2025.
Underemployment slightly improved, with around 95,000 workers, or 11.7 percent of the labor force, classified as underemployed in 2025. This was lower than the 106,000 workers, or 12.9 percent, recorded the previous year.
Underemployed workers are those who already have jobs but are still seeking additional working hours or other sources of income.
The PSA said the figure means that about 12 in every 100 workers or self-employed individuals in Cordillera still did not have enough income or working hours.
The labor figures reflected the region’s slower economic performance in 2025. Cordillera’s gross regional domestic product grew by 4.4 percent to P394.96 billion, down from 4.9 percent growth in 2024.
Among major industries, construction contracted by 1.6 percent, while mining declined by 2.5 percent.
The slowdown in mining alone resulted in the loss of around 3,900 jobs. The PSA also noted declines in the number of managers and manual laborers, partly due to fewer construction projects in the region.