DoLE helps create globally competitive Filipino workforce
JOB creation is not the Labor Department’s primary mandate — it is job facilitation. Despite this, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), under the leadership of Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, has crafted the Labor and Employment Plan (LEP) 2023-2028 that can tremendously improve the number and quality of jobs for Filipinos.
Changing workplace
In her keynote address at the recent AmCham Annual Talent Summit, Undersecretary Carmela “Amy” Torres, head of DoLE’s Employment and Human Resources Development cluster, expounded on how the LEP can contribute to “propelling the Filipino workforce into global competitiveness” in a rapidly changing workplace. I took the liberty to share some important excerpts from Undersecretary Torres’ keynote address.
Undersecretary Torres said, “Our collective commitment today underscores the importance of reshaping the future of talent management in an era of unprecedented technological innovation as we unlock the full potential of Filipino workers. By strategically reskilling and upskilling our workforce, we can empower individuals and fuel innovation. The importance of equipping individuals with timely, relevant, and necessary skills and knowledge for quality, productive, and sustainable job opportunities has never before been as compelling. These, in turn, foster a thriving business and a worker ecosystem where everyone benefits.”
Obviously, Undersecretary Torres understands how technological developments continue to change the workplace and the skills needed in order to ensure high-quality, highly remunerative, productive, freely chosen and sustainable jobs.
Impact of technology
“These global trends, along with institutional and policy changes, have impacted the labor market, benefiting some sectors while disrupting others, particularly affecting groups in vulnerable situations such as youths, lowskilled workers, people with disabilities, poor rural communities and indigenous peoples and those in the informal economy,” Torres continued.
“Social issues in the world of work still persist — poor quality jobs, inequality and social exclusion, gender gaps and barriers to women’s full and equal participation, the proliferation of the informal sector, leading to precarious employment and limited access to social protection. The rapidly changing nature of work and these social factors necessitate urgent and decisive action for the promotion of inclusive, sustainable, quality and productive employment,” she said.
“As the world of work is disrupted by technological advancements, businesses globally identified their top skills priorities until 2027 in the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2023 Report. These include analytical thinking, creative thinking, and technological literacy, particularly in artificial intelligence and big data. Effective upskilling and reskilling strategies for the next five years will be crucial to facilitate workforce development and enterprise productivity.”
Employment prospects
Over the years, the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines (JFC) has partnered with the Philippine government to identify key employment generators and develop appropriate policy reforms to improve the employment and employability of millions of Filipinos.
Fortunately, the JFC’s key sectors where employment prospects are possible are similar to those identified by the LEP as the “10 Key Employment Growth Sectors (KEGS)” — including construction, transportation, logistics, manufacturing, ITrelated functions, tourism, etc. Also, we cannot emphasize the growing importance of economic sectors such as the digital, green and care economies.
Undersecretary Torres said, “The Department actively maps digital technology and skills nationwide to identify available skills and competencies, skills gaps and training needs, demographics in the digital technology sectors, and access to digital platforms and ICT infrastructure. A Digital Technology and Digital Skills Roadmap will be developed under the Digital Workforce Competitiveness Act of 2022.”
The government is preparing employment projections from sectoral roadmaps and the President’s official state visits, which initially show the possible creation of several millions of new jobs over the next few years.
Undersecretary Torres disclosed, “Additionally, new trade and business opportunities arising from official state visits by the President and trade and investment agreements are estimated to generate 305,535 jobs. These opportunities stem from travels to Indonesia, Singapore, the United States, Thailand, Belgium, China, Switzerland and Japan. These projections reflect a positive outlook for employment opportunities across various sectors in the Philippines. The expanding work opportunities and investment prospects are indicative of a growing and diverse economy.”
Future skills needs
The government certainly acknowledges the significance of investing in lifelong learning, education, and training. There must be an allof-society approach to equipping Filipino students and the workforce with the necessary skills if we want greater employment security.
Undersecretary Torres prescribes: “To prepare for the future of work, the Department shall strengthen the implementation of youth employability, technical and vocational education and training, and professional development interventions. We shall likewise develop a national policy for lifelong learning, promoting the Philippine Qualifications Framework and Philippine Skills Framework in key areas, including artificial intelligence and analytics, and investing in basic, TVET, and higher education and innovation centers that produce competent, job-ready, engaged and accountable citizens of the nation.”
She assures: “The National Technical Education and Skills Development Plan (NTESDP) 2023-2028 focuses on modernizing technical and vocational training, lifelong learning, workforce productivity, quality assurance, certification, innovation, and governance mainstreaming gender and green competencies.”
Apart from the technological skills required for most jobs in the future, the undersecretary understands the importance of soft skills. She said, “Core skills for life and work in the 21st century, such as social and emotional skills, cognitive and metacognitive skills, and even basic digital and green skills are identified as key components toward workforce development, along with the in-demand, critical, and emerging skills. These are the areas where the demand for talent and skilled workforce will require strategic interventions to respond to the needs of the industry. These same skills can make our workforce globally competitive.”
In closing, Undersecretary Torres prescribes: “It is important for workers and employers — with AmCham taking a lead role — to foster an open, informed, and trusting environment in relating with each other. For this purpose, the DoLE has been providing services and programs to promote and maintain sound labor-management relations and industrial peace. These programs are intended to expand access to employment opportunities and prospects to companies, promote shared responsibility in implementing employability and skills development programs.”
All of these were discussed during the recent National Tripartite Conference with multi-sectoral representatives, of which I was one of the discussants from the business and employer sectors. The Conference raised continuing concerns about the availability of talent, especially in the key employment-generating sectors.
Fortunately, the LEP provides some of the answers to those concerns. Kudos to Secretary Laguesma, Undersecretary Torres, Bobot Bitonio, and Benjo Benavidez, and the other undersecretaries and assistant secretaries and directors, especially Assistant Secretary Paul Añover and Director Patrick Patriwirawan, Jr. of the DoLE for the meaningful Labor and Employment Plan.
“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now,” wrote Alan Lakein. “So it shall be written, so it shall be done,” allegedly said Pharaoh Rameses.
Ernie Cecilia is the chairman of the Human Capital Committee and the Publication Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham); chairman of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines’ (ECOP’s) TWG on Labor and Social Policy Issues; and past president of the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP). He can be reached at erniececilia@gmail.com.