Government embarks on ambitious jobs program

MANILA, Philippines - The Duterte administration will embark on an ambitious employment generation program to create 7.2 million new jobs until 2022, surpassing those achieved by the two previous administrations.

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the current administration wants to exceed its predecessor’s accomplishments in job generation.

 “We are targeting much more than that,“ Bello said, referring to the one million annual job generation target set by former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during her term.

 “We are envisioning an increase of 1.2 million in job creation annually,” Bello said during yesterday’s Trabaho, Negosyo at Kabuhayan-Employment and Livelihood Summit jointly organized by DOLE and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

“Demand will be there and we will be able to absorb the labor force, more than one million new jobs per year definitely,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez added.

DOLE director Dominique Tutay said total employment generated under Arroyo’s term reached 4.8 million, while that under president Benigno Aquino III stood at 4.3 million.

The Duterte administration is aiming to eclipse both Arroyo and Aquino’s accomplishments by targeting to reach a total 7.2 million new jobs until 2022.

DOLE Undersecretary Dominador Say said the additional jobs are expected to come mostly from the construction, manufacturing and IT-BPO industries.

“In the construction industry, there is currently a huge demand that has not been filled,” Say said, noting there is currently a shortage in adequately-skilled construction workers.

Such labor shortage has affected private construction activities nationwide which posted a 16.2 percent growth in the third quarter of the year.

Real estate consultancy firm Colliers International earlier said private construction in the country could have been more robust if not for construction delays brought about by the lack of adequately-skilled workers.

“We are in discussion with TESDA. We will tie up with them to train people going into the construction industry. We are also encouraging laborers in the countryside to enter construction industry,” Say said.

For the manufacturing industry, Lopez said the sector’s revival and its expected continued growth could certainly mean more jobs for Filipinos in the coming years.

The trade chief said he is encouraging firms to invest in job generating industries such as those in industry and services sector, specifically manufacturing, construction, IT BPM, retail trade and tourism.

 “Government is cognizant that we should make these industries attractive to investors. We want to identify the strategies to increase employment levels, improve access to employment opportunities, and address our skills requirement,” Lopez said.