The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that its monthly job fairs have helped raise the country’s employment rate, particularly in November 2025.

In a Wednesday interview on Public Service Hour, DOLE Director Patrick Patriwirawan said that job demand typically rises in October onwards, leading to a rise in employment.

“Ang nakikita nating dahilan dito, alam naman natin, katulad sa mga nakaraang taon, pag pumasok na po ang buwan ng Oktubre, Nobyembre, at Disyembre, nakikita natin ‘yung pagtaas ng demand sa mas maraming trabaho, ano. Kaya kung nakikita natin, tumataas din ang bilang ng mga kababayan nating nagkakaroon ng trabaho,” he said.

Connecting job-seekers with employers is vital, however. The labor agency does this by holding monthly job fairs. A good number of job-seekers were hired immediately during these fairs.

“Kung makikita rin natin no, ‘yung total po na job fair activities na naisagawa natin for 2025, umabot na po tayo sa 2,200 job fair activities for January to November of 2025. Ito po ay nakakuha ng 500,000 na mga job-seekers po natin. At mula sa 500,000 na job-seekers po, mayroon po tayong halos 70,000 o 74,000 na hired on the spot. Kaya nakikita natin ‘yung talagang tulong na naibibigay ng mga programa o serbisyo natin,” Patriwirawan said.

“Para po sa report ng 2025 January to November, umabot na po tayo sa 774,000 na mga job-seekers na nabigyan ng pre-employment documents or nagkaroon ng libreng access sa pre-employment documents po na ito,” he continued.

For job-seekers, Patriwirawan shared that there were many vacancies in the following occupations:

• Call center agent - 13,400 vacancies

• Cash collector positions - 13,000

• Production machine operators - 7,500

• Production worker - 5,300

• Customer service assistant - 4,000

He noted however, that these jobs required mid-level, even high-level skills. The labor director emphasized that training opportunities must be made more accessible so that more Filipinos would become employable.

“Patuloy po nating ini-implement ang mga strategies po natin sa labor and employment plan, kasama rin po ang Trabaho (Para) sa Bayan Plan, ‘yung mga stratehiya, programa at serbisyo nakapaloob dito, para masiguro na mapataas natin ang antas ng kasanayan ng ating mga kababayan at mapalawak ang access ng ating mga kababayan sa employment opportunities,” Patriwirawan said.

In November 2025, the unemployment rate was at 4.4 percent, lower than it was the month prior, in October, at 5 percent. However, in November of 2024, it was lower still at 3.2 percent, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).