Manila, March 13 -- The government will step up efforts to support the country's workforce amid rising global uncertainties, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) has said.

The DEPDev made the statement following the release of the latest Labor Force Survey (LFS) results on Friday, which showed that the unemployment rate rose to 5.8 percent in January this year from 4.3 percent in January 2025.

The number of unemployed individuals in January 2026 was estimated at 2.96 million, higher than the number of unemployed individuals in January last year at 2.17 million.

In a separate briefing, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Assistant Secretary Divina Gracia del Prado said survey results showed that 306,000 were s...