The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) 7 reported that Central Visayas' unemployment rate increased to 3.8 percent in 2025, up from 3.1 percent in 2024. This rise left approximately 115,000 individuals without jobs, compared to 94,000 the previous year. The data was released on May 21, 2026, as part of the Annual Labor Force Survey.
Regional Unemployment Rates
Among provinces and highly urbanized cities, Lapu-Lapu City recorded the highest unemployment rate at 5.3 percent, while Mandaue City had the lowest at 2.8 percent. Bohol and Cebu (excluding highly urbanized cities) each posted a 3.6 percent rate, below the regional average.
Employment Decline
The number of employed persons in Central Visayas fell to about 2.93 million in 2025 from 2.95 million in 2024, causing the employment rate to slip to 96.2 percent from 96.9 percent. Mandaue City achieved the highest employment rate among highly urbanized cities at 97.2 percent, whereas Lapu-Lapu City recorded the lowest at 94.7 percent.
Sectoral Performance
The services sector remained the largest employer, accounting for 64.9 percent of total employment, followed by industry at 19.5 percent and agriculture at 15.7 percent. By subsector, wholesale and retail trade, including repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, contributed the largest share at 20.3 percent, followed by agriculture and forestry at 12.7 percent and construction at 9.7 percent.
Labor Participation
The underemployment rate improved slightly to 6.3 percent in 2025 from 7 percent in 2024, indicating better job quality despite higher unemployment. However, the labor force participation rate declined to 63.9 percent from 64.7 percent. Lapu-Lapu City posted the highest participation at 67.3 percent, while Cebu City recorded the lowest at 60.1 percent.
The PSA 7 attributed the increased joblessness to a structural skills mismatch and recent natural disasters. Youth aged 15 to 24 faced greater challenges, with their employment rate dropping to 88.3 percent in 2025 from 90.4 percent in 2024, and labor force participation falling to 30.9 percent from 31.8 percent.
