RP unemployment rate rises to 12.7%

RP unemployment rate rises to 12.7%

MANILA: The Philippines' jobless rate rose to 12.7 percent in July, the government said on Tuesday.

The figure was half a percentage point higher than the 12.2 percent unemployment rate in April, and 1.5 percentage points above the year-earlier figure of 11.2 percent, the National Statistics Office said in a statement.

It gave no explanation.

About 34.8 percent of the labor force is employed in agriculture, while 48.6 percent are in the services sector. Industry accounted for 16.6 percent.--AFP