IN DECEMBER 2021, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) released a study underscoring how across the ASEAN including the Philippines the youth were among the hardest hit as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on labor markets.
Citing Q2 2020 data, the ADB study showed that young workers accounted for nearly a fourth (23%) of all job losses in the Philippines, despite representing only 15 percent of total employment on average. In other words, as the study stated, workers 15 to 24 years old were disproportionately affected in terms of job cuts, often as a consequence of having less experience and being less likely to have permanent contract arrangements.
According to the latest Labor Force Survey data (Nov. 2021), the youth unemployment rate in the country was 13.4 percent. While the rate is the lowest recorded for 2021 so far, this still means that at least one million of our young workers were jobless at the time.
Youth unemployment has long been a problem for the country. This is why when we were acting chairperson of the Senate Committee on Labor, we shepherded legislation that sought to provide solutions to this issue.
One was RA 10917 or the law expanding the Special Program of the Employment of Students (SPES) enacted in 2016. The SPES is a temporary employment program for poor but deserving students, out-of-school youth, and dependents of displaced or would-be displaced workers so that they could both reinforce their family’s income and pursue their education later on. The latest available data from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) shows that there have been at least 3.1 million SPES beneficiaries since 1993, most of whom have been hired as service crews or were assigned to clerical and administrative jobs by both private employers and government agencies.
Another was RA 10869 establishing the JobStart Philippines Program under the DOLE. JobStart prepares at-risk youth or those not employed, not in education or training for the real world of work through the provision of life and technical skills training. Since the law’s enactment in 2016, JobStart has enhanced the employability of at least 18,000 youth beneficiaries as of the 3rd quarter of 2021.
SPES and JobStart Philippines are only some of the programs that bridge disadvantaged youth to new opportunities. They are extremely crucial now given the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on our youth, many of whom are struggling to get on their own feet. These kinds of programs that tackle their employability should be among our primary efforts to jumpstart our economic recovery, and build back better.
In a web article, the University of Edinburgh clarified that employability is not just about “simply getting a job” but about ensuring “ongoing success for now and in the future of students.” Efforts to enhance the employability of our disadvantaged youth are therefore essential as they help steer young lives in the right direction, away from ending up as part of what some now call a lost generation.
A recent study by Marikina City Representative Stella Quimbo and University of Vermont Professor Emily A. Beam even found that underprivileged students with short-term work experience “increase their employability by 79 percent within 8 to 12 months from graduation.” In other words, simple internships, or short-term training programs such as the ones offered under SPES and JobStart Philippines can really make a big difference.
An article from the Global Development Commons noted how youth unemployment, as a global problem, can lead to “social exclusion and unrest,” and argued that investments to reduce the same through education and training opportunities for the youth can help create progressive and more stable societies. Indeed, just as the World Economic Forum argues, such an issue will not resolve on its own over time, and if left to fester will have long-term negative effects on the standard of living of our youth.
This is why we echo the calls of various groups, such as the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), for the next administration to prioritize policies that strengthen economic and employment recovery that include youth employability programs. As Rep. Quimbo and Prof. Beam have written in their paper, programs that provide temporary work act as “stepping stones” for low-income youth. Hence, it is clear that the State must further devote its resources and seek similar policies and programs for the youth not only to prop up their future, but also the nation’s.
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Sen. Sonny Angara has been in public service for 17 years. He has authored and sponsored more than 200 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate.
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E-mail: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara/PN
