The unemployment rate in July went up to a four-year high of 6 percent from 4.9 percent in June, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Tuesday.

National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa said this was due to many in the 15-24 year old age bracket among the 3.71 million looking for jobs.

The July Labor Force Survey (LFS) released by the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the labor force expanded to 52.36 million Filipinos, while total employment increased to 49.21 million.

Underemployment declined to 12.9 percent from 14.8 percent a year earlier, and the share of youth not in education, employment, or training falling to 15.2 percent from 15.9 percent.

The government will strengthen support for workers and businesses following mixed labor market results in July, while sustaining efforts to create quality jobs, according to the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev).

“These figures show both progress and challenge. More Filipinos are participating in the labor market, which means that we need to intensify efforts to attract investments, especially those that create quality jobs,” Balisacan said. “The key is to continuously improve the ease of doing business in the country.” PHS