The unemployment rate in the Philippines increased to 3.9 percent in March from 3.5 percent in February, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Wednesday.

PSA head Dennis Mapa said at a press conference that there were 2 million jobless Filipinos in March this year, higher than 1.8 million unemployed individuals in February.

National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan highlighted March employment in key sectors, such as wholesale and retail trade, and manufacturing.

"The wholesale and retail trade sector saw the highest annual increase, employing 963,000 additional individuals. Manufacturing followed closely with 553,000 new jobs, while public administration and defense added 229,000 employed individuals," Balisacan said.

The government will focus on attracting job-generating investments from the private sector and scaling up social and physical infrastructure to improve employment, Balisacan said, adding reskilling and upskilling programs to increase employability will also be prioritized.

(Source: Xinhuanet)