The unemployment rate in January 2009 was estimated at 7.7 percent, compared to 7.4 percent posted in January last year.

The National Statistics Office (NSO) said among the regions, the highest unemployment rate was recorded in the National Capital Region (NCR) at 14.0 percent.

The number of employed persons in January 2009 was estimated at 34.3 million with an employment rate at 92.3 percent, slightly lower than the 92.6 percent rate in January 2008.

NSO noted that the NCR) posted the lowest employment rate at 86.0 percent. Aside from NCR, CALABARZON (89.1%), Central Luzon (90.3%), Ilocos Region (91.5%), and Central Visayas (92.2%) had employment rates lower than the national employment rate.

Out of the estimated 58.7 million population 15 years old and over in January 2009, about 37.1 million persons were reported to be in the labor force, placing the labor force participation rate at 63.3 percent.

The labor force participation rate registered last year was 63.4 percent. Among the regions, MIMAROPA registered the highest labor force participation rate at 69.4 percent and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) posted the lowest at 55.9 percent.

Of the estimated 34.3 million employed persons in January 2009, more than one-half (51.2%) worked in the services sector, with those employed in wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and personal and household goods sub-sector comprising the largest sub-sector.

Workers in the agriculture sector accounted for 34.6 percent of the total employed, with those engaged in the agriculture, hunting and forestry sub-sector making up the largest sub-sector.

Only 14.2 percent of the total employed were in the industry sector, with the manufacturing sub-sector making up the largest percentage at 8.3% of the total employed.

Among the various occupation groups, laborers and unskilled workers registered the largest group at 31.9 percent of the total employed persons in January 2009. Farmers, forestry workers and fishermen were the second largest group, accounting for 17.3 percent of the total employed.

Employed persons fall into any of these categories: wage and salary workers, own account workers and unpaid family workers. Wage and salary workers are those who work for private households, private establishments, government or government corporations and those who work with pay in own-family operated farm or business.

More than half (52.3%) of the employed persons were wage and salary workers, more than one-third (35.4%) were own-account workers, and 12.3 percent were unpaid family workers.

Among the wage and salary workers, those working for private establishments comprised the largest proportion (38.7% of the total employed). Government workers or those working for government corporations comprised only 8.1 percent of the total employed, while 5.2 percent were workers in private households. Meanwhile, among the own-account workers, the self-employed comprised the majority (31.3% of total employed).