Among its peers, the Philippines has the lowest labour-force participation — 61.4% — and the lowest employment-to-population ratio.
Youth unemployment is mid-pack at 7%, not the regional extreme. Modeled ILO/WDI 2025 only — don’t mix ASEAN Key Figures official LFPR. Informal employment is a gap for all eleven.
What the comparison shows
Low labour-force participation and a low employment-to-population ratio point to a broader engagement issue than youth unemployment alone. The Philippine youth unemployment observation is mid-pack: it counts unemployment within the youth labour force, not all young people outside work. Someone outside the labour force is absent from that unemployment denominator.
Key findings from this pack
- PH participation and employment-to-population are lowest among its four peers.
- PH youth unemployment is mid-pack, not the regional maximum.
- Cambodia’s low modelled youth rate needs informality and survey-capture context.
- Informal employment is a gap for every SEA-11 country.
The evidence: Philippines and peers
Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. Values retain their individual years; missing observations are shown as —.
| Indicator / unit | Philippines | Malaysia | Thailand | Vietnam | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour-force participation% of population aged 15+ | 61.42025 | 66.12025 | 66.72025 | 72.82025 | 682025 |
| Employment-to-population ratio% of population aged 15+ | 602025 | 63.62025 | 66.22025 | 71.72025 | 65.82025 |
| Youth unemployment% of labour force aged 15–24 | 7.042025 | 11.952025 | 4.532025 | 6.172025 | 12.982025 |
| Informal employment% · definition not harmonised | —No observation | —No observation | —No observation | —No observation | —No observation |
How to interpret the findings
The comparison uses the modeled ILO/WDI 2025 series. Mixing it with official national estimates would alter the basis of comparison. Informal employment is missing across this pack, so these indicators cannot establish job security, formality or the quality of employment.
Coverage and context
Read row years and coverage notes; missing observations are not zero.
The table is a comparison of observations, not a combined ranking. The topic guide includes the wider SEA-11 coverage, interactive charts and full methodology.
Open labour & youth →All sources and observation years
S1 · World Bank WDI SL.TLF.CACT.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S2 · World Bank WDI SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S3 · World Bank WDI SL.UEM.1524.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S4 · World Bank WDI SL.ISV.IFRM.ZS (archived) / ILOSTAT · year unavailable · as_of 2026-09-06
S5 · World Bank WDI SL.TLF.CACT.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S6 · World Bank WDI SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S7 · World Bank WDI SL.UEM.1524.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S8 · World Bank WDI SL.TLF.CACT.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S9 · World Bank WDI SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S10 · World Bank WDI SL.UEM.1524.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S11 · World Bank WDI SL.TLF.CACT.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S12 · World Bank WDI SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S13 · World Bank WDI SL.UEM.1524.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S14 · World Bank WDI SL.TLF.CACT.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S15 · World Bank WDI SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S16 · World Bank WDI SL.UEM.1524.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S17 · World Bank WDI SL.TLF.CACT.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S18 · World Bank WDI SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S19 · World Bank WDI SL.UEM.1524.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S20 · World Bank WDI SL.TLF.CACT.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S21 · World Bank WDI SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S22 · World Bank WDI SL.UEM.1524.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S23 · World Bank WDI SL.TLF.CACT.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S24 · World Bank WDI SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S25 · World Bank WDI SL.UEM.1524.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S26 · World Bank WDI SL.TLF.CACT.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S27 · World Bank WDI SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S28 · World Bank WDI SL.UEM.1524.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S29 · World Bank WDI SL.TLF.CACT.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S30 · World Bank WDI SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S31 · World Bank WDI SL.UEM.1524.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S32 · World Bank WDI SL.TLF.CACT.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S33 · World Bank WDI SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
S34 · World Bank WDI SL.UEM.1524.ZS (modeled ILO estimate) · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06
Cite this page
ASEAN in Data (2026). Among its peers, the Philippines has the lowest labour-force participation — 61.4% — and the lowest employment-to-population ratio. /insights/labour-youth