THE national government is set to create a master plan that aims to generate high quality jobs in the labor market under the Trabaho Para sa Bayan law signed last year.
The inter-agency council composed of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Department of Trade and Industry signed the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act on Tuesday, March 12. This will serve as the framework for labor and employment programs and targets.
The IRR also mandates the creation of 10-year, six-year, and three-year strategies that will complement the Philippine Development Plan.
NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the plan will help the government craft programs to improve the employability of the labor force and generate high quality jobs.
“We want to see continued improvement in other statistics particularly the underemployment rate and the share of wage and salary workers. These indicators are the barometers of the quality of jobs which we commit to enhance further… We recognize that we have much to do in our efforts if we wish to further equip our workers with emerging and in-demand skills that are adaptive to the fast-paced and ever-changing domestic and local economy,” Balisacan said.
Balisacan said that as more industries are gearing towards digitalization and automation, reskilling and upskilling of the labor force based on the current and future needs of the market is needed to ensure inclusive growth.
He emphasized that the labor force needs to be equipped with the skills to use advanced technology instead of seeing it as a threat to the workforce.
“Going back to our history, if our response to the internet would have been ‘No, we should not adopt the internet because it will replace the usual secretary doing the dialing,’ we would have ended in a far worse situation. We would want a labor force that is agile, can adjust to these technologies and challenges. Siyempre education is such a critical element because their ability to adapt depends on the culmination of skills,” Balisacan said.
While priority sectors in the master plan are yet to be determined, Balisacan said that the creative and digital sectors will be included to boost the country’s competitiveness in these industries.
The Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan is expected to be completed within the year.
NEDA has yet to release a copy of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan IRR. (ABS-CBN News)
