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Workers are seen at the Precast Concrete Yard in Santa Rosa, Laguna on June 13, 2024. The factory is in full swing as they produce concrete parts which will then be assembled to finish the South Commuter Railways Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

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Construction workers' group laments job loss as flood control mess hits sector in 2025

Job Manahan

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- The National Union of Building and Construction Workers on Friday expressed dismay over the impact of the flood control scandal on the construction sector, especially in the jobs of small-time laborers.The Philippine Statistics Authority said the construction industry recorded the biggest employment decline over the past year, with the number of workers falling to 4.80 million in December 2025 from 5.35 million in December 2024—translating to about 550,000 job losses, citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/2/6/unemployment-rate-steady-underemployment-eases-in-december-2025-0914" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Unemployment rate steady, underemployment eases in December 2025</a></div>National Statistician and PSA Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa noted that public spending as well as economic growth slowed in the fourth quarter of 2025 amid the flood control mess.“It is related kasi nagkaroon ng infrastructure scandal, bumaba yung activities sa public construction. Nakita natin yun, ni-report natin yun sa Q4 GDP so kung mababa o mahina ang activities dahil mahina ang disbursement, lesser employed persons in that particular industry....That is really linked to that,&quot; according to Mapa. <div>RELATED VIDEO</div><div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CTz8aDj5HNQ?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>“Dahil bumaba ang disbursement sa public construction, kaunti na  lang ang na-hire kaya nabawas ang ating employed sa construction sector,” he added. The construction group, meanwhile, said stagnant projects have also contributed to the job loss, since some permits were cancelled in the wake of the flood control investigations.“Marami akong contractor na involved sa flood control ang huminto sa trabaho dahil tinanggalan sila ng lisensya para mag-operate. Dahil dun, sabihin na lang natin 15 ang identified na contractors, ang 15 na yun ay may manggagawang involved diyan,” the group’s secretary-general Santiago Nolla said. “Tapos yung malalaking contractor na yan, may sub-con yan  ang estimate namin. Inamin naman ng DOLE na tinantiya nila na nasa mahigit 100,000 manggagawa sa construction sector ang naawalan ng trabaho na resulta ng flood-control mess na ito kaya hindi nakapagtataka,” he said. Nolla added that the most affected workers in the sector are those without skills, as they are the first people to be removed when a construction stops. <div>LABORERS</div>Among those who had difficulties in finding work in the construction sector in the past year were Alvin and Angelo Dela Cruz, saying jobs in this field have been limited even in the private sector. Alvin, 20, said he was able to find a job with the help of his elder brother Angelo through social media. He attributed his circumstances to his supposed lack of skills and education. “Nahirapan talaga ako. Minsan, wala talaga. Minsan meron. Pero di ako nawawalan ng pag-asa kasi alam kong magkakaroon ako ng trabaho,” Dela Cruz said, adding that he was without work for a year. “Mahirap din kasi marami akong pinagdaanan. Hindi ako nakapagtapos so nahirapan talaga ako...Minsan ina-ano ko na lang na kahit mahirap, sige,” he added. Meanwhile, his brother Angelo said he had been without a job for two straight years despite having experience as a laborer.He added that his eagerness to work in the field even led to him being tricked into rendering labor for a construction firm late last year, only to end up unpaid for his work.More than these, however, he said he found it difficult to work in some firms since they need several requirements. “Mahirap maghanap ng trabaho kasi naghahanap sila ng requirements. Eh minsan nag-expire yung mga requirements na kailangan nila. So kapag wala ka talagang pera, hindi ka makaka-[kumpleto] ng requirements,” he said. “Minsan umiikot ako para lang makahanap ng trabaho,” he added. To address this, Nolla said the group has partnered with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Technical Education And Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to help some of these individuals learn skills such as welding, scaffolding, and safety officers’ training despite a limited budget.“Marami diyan dahil recruit sila from different provinces, unskilled ang iba diyan. Ang iba na-refer lang, ang iba mababa ang pinag-aralan, di na kaya makapagtapos ng trabaho o tumungtong sa kolehiyo. Pinipiling magtrabaho na lang kasi ito ang industriya na pinakawine-welcome ang mga walang kasanayan na manggagawa o tao hindi katulad ng ibang industriya na may specific requirements bago ka tanggapin,” he said. “Sa construction, basta marunong ka magtrabaho, bata ka, malakas ka [o] kaya mo, tatanggapin ka. Walang tapon sa industriya,” he added. Meanwhile, Mapa noted that despite the decline in construction, the full-year employment rate in 2025 stood at 95.8 percent, slightly lower than the 96.2 percent in 2024.The average unemployment rate in 2025, meanwhile, rose to 4.2 percent, higher than the 3.8 percent recorded in 2024. The average underemployment rate for the year, compared to the previous year, was steady at 11.9 percent.

The National Union of Building and Construction Workers is dismayed over the impact of the flood control scandal on the construction sector, especially on the jobs of small-time laborers.

The National Union of Building and Construction Workers is dismayed over the impact of the flood control scandal on the construction sector, especially on the jobs of small-time laborers.