At least 2.4 million workers are expected to be employed this year as the government starts the implementation of its National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS).
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the target 2.4 million to 2.8 million target jobs to be created for 2021 under the updated Philippine Development Plan (PDP) can be achieved by the government as it continues its economic priming initiatives.
“The economic indicators in the [latest PDP] is achievable,” Labor Assistant Secretary Dominique R. Tutay told Business in a Viber message.
She said the NERS, which is aligned with the updated PDP, will be play a crucial role in achieving the said targets.
For his part, Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said NERS will help the country’s workforce recover from the economic slowdown caused by the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) since last year.
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, he said employment rate currently at 89 percent, while unemployment rate is at 10.2 percent – the lowest and highest, respectively, since 2005.
“This underscores the importance of coordinated efforts to bring our economy back on its feet, to recover our losses in the labor market, and preserve existing jobs, businesses and livelihood amidst the lingering pandemic,” Bello said during the signing of a new Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) Joint Memorandum No. 001-2021 creating the Inter-agency task force to enforce the NERs on Friday.
The task force will be chaired by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and it will be co-chaired by DOLE and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Its members include the Commission on Higher Education (CHED); Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR); Department of Agriculture (DA); Department of Education (DepEd); Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT); Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG); Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); Department of Science and Technology (DOST); Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD); Department of Tourism (DOT); Department of Transportation (DOST); and the National Security Council (NSC).
“This JMC will fortify our collective undertaking as a Task Force working to develop a policy environment that encourages generation of more employment opportunities, improves employability and productivity of workers, and supports existing and emerging businesses,” Bello said.
Read full article on BusinessMirror