May 22, 2026
MANILA – Filipinos remained among the happiest workers in the Asia-Pacific region in 2025, even as many continued to grapple with stress, burnout and anxiety over career progression, a study by online job platform Jobstreet by SEEK showed.
In its latest Workplace Happiness Index, Jobstreet found that 77 percent of Filipino workers described themselves as either “extremely happy” or “somewhat happy” at work, placing the Philippines second in the region behind Indonesia’s 82 percent.
Of that number, 44 percent said they were somewhat happy while 33 percent described themselves as extremely happy. Only 2 percent said they were extremely unhappy, while 3 percent said they were somewhat unhappy.
Workers in the Visayas emerged as the happiest at 82 percent, followed by the National Capital Region at 77 percent. Luzon and Mindanao both posted 76 percent.
The high satisfaction levels came as 77 percent of Filipino respondents said they felt valued in their jobs, while 74 percent described their work as fulfilling.
Main motivator
Jobstreet said, however, that “salary remained the top factor to attract and retain employees, purpose at work.”
Employees who reported being happy at work were also nearly twice as likely to feel motivated to “go above and beyond” for their employers, according to the report.
Still, the survey also pointed to signs of mounting strain in workplaces.
Only 41 percent of Filipino workers said they felt in control of their stress levels, while 38 percent reported feeling burned out or extremely exhausted because of work.
On the other hand, 55 percent said they think about changing careers somewhat or extremely often.
Limited career progression opportunities emerged as one of the biggest factors driving workers to consider leaving their jobs, while concerns over artificial intelligence (AI) are also beginning to shape workplace sentiment.
Some 41 percent of Filipino workers said they were worried about AI’s potential impact on their jobs as companies increasingly adopt automation and generative AI tools.
“The report only shows how employee preferences are evolving and how their work environment shapes their overall happiness and sense of purpose,” said Dannah Majarocon, managing director at Jobstreet Philippines.
Jobstreet’s survey covered more than 10,500 workers across the Asia-Pacific region from October to November 2025. These included 1,000 employed Filipinos age 18 to 64. /cb