The unemployment rate in the Philippines hit 6.8 percent in October, slightly higher than last year's figure, the National Statistics Office (NSO) said Tuesday.

This is however lower than the 7 percent rate posted in July.

In its latest Labor Force Survey, the NSO said most of the 2.8 million jobless people are male, aged from 15 to 24 years old and only completed secondary school. The national capital region posted the highest unemployment rate at 11 percent while Cagayan Valley posted the lowest at 2.4 percent.

The number of underemployed people in October was estimated at 7.2 million, placing the underemployment rate at 19 percent, little changed than last year's 19.1 percent. More than 80 percent of the underemployed work in the agriculture and services sectors.

The country's total labor force is comprised of 40.4 million people, 37.7 million of whom are employed. This corresponds to a 93.2 percent employment rate.

The services sector employed the most number of people, with 52. 6 percent of the employed people working in this sector.