The Philippines’ unemployment rate remained steady at 3.1 percent in December 2024, matching the rate recorded in December 2023, despite a drop from 3.2 percent in November 2024. While the number of unemployed individuals rose to 1.63 million in December, up from 1.60 million a year earlier, it marked a decrease from the 1.66 million recorded in November.
Visitor arrivals in the Philippines surged 9.1 percent year-on-year to 626,900 in January 2025, marking the first time since the pandemic that arrivals breached the 600,000 mark in a single month, according to data from the Department of Tourism (DoT).
Inflation, or the rate of change in prices, steadied at 2.9 percent in January, according to latest price readings by the Philippine Statistics Authority.
JLL Philippines, a leading global real estate services firm, reported a significant rise in office space vacancies across Metro Manila in 2024, attributed to the government's crackdown on Philippine online gaming operations.
The Department of Agriculture will reduce on Wednesday, February 5, the maximum suggested retail price of imported rice to P55 per kilo, providing much-needed relief to consumers struggling with the high cost of the food staple. The MSRP was previously set at P58 per kilo.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reaffirmed that customers can access funds above ₱500,000 (or foreign currency equivalent) without unnecessary delays, following the implementation of BSP Circular No. 1218, s. 2025.
Oasis Hotel, a long-standing hospitality landmark in Angeles City, Pampanga, is stepping up its digital offerings through a new partnership with Converge Global Business, the enterprise arm of Converge ICT Solutions Inc. The collaboration will bring Converge’s advanced connectivity and hospitality platform, Content Plus, to the hotel—boosting in-room entertainment, digital services, and overall guest experience.
Philippine Airlines has resumed its seasonal nonstop service between Manila and Sapporo, operating from November 24, 2025 to March 27, 2026. The route, flown every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on a 168-seater Airbus A321neo, aims to capture strong winter travel demand between the Philippines and Japan.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has begun acquiring properties for the Mindanao Railway Project (MRP), marking a major step toward the long-delayed construction of the region’s first railway system.