DOLE to check number of displaced workers able to regain employment

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) plans to start by the third quarter of the year its profiling of displaced workers to determine how many were able to regain employment.

Labor Assistant Secretary Dominique R. Tutay told the Businessmirror the DOLE is “still finalizing details and the instruments to be deployed.”

“We also need to train our profilers at the barangay level,” Tutay told the Businessmirror last Sunday.

The official said they expect the project would help the government to come out with more responsive programs under the proposed National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS).

Last year, DOLE was able register 428,701 workers who permanently lost their jobs and another 4.5 million who were temporarily displaced either through flexible work arrangements or temporary closure of their establishments.

The labor department’s latest data showed about 25,226 workers are now jobless while 108,000 were temporarily displaced from January 1 to February 26.

Tutay told the Businessmirror they have yet to determine how many of those affected by temporary closures were re-employed and how many are now permanently displaced.

The DOLE said it recently just started its stakeholder consultation to come out with possible new programs.

Currently, the NERS only contains the consolidated list of 49 government programs for employment, skills training, and business financing and other programs, which aims to help companies and workers to cope with the economic and health crises.

Tutay told the Businessmirror they plan to further expand these programs to help the government achieve its goal of generating 2.4 million to 2.8 million jobs this year.

“Priority policies to reopen the economy have already been identified during the first ne rs task force meeting ,” Tutay said adding that another meeting would be held jointly with the Economic Recovery Task Group.

Among the proposed new program of the DOLE is a P60-billion wage subsidy program for micro, small, and medium enterprises to help retain the employment of about five million workers.

The labor department said it already submitted a proposal to the Department of Budget and Management and to President Duterte to get the necessary budget for the initiative, which is unfunded under the 2021 General Appropriations Act.

Tutay told the Businessmirror the request is still pending as the National Economic and Development Authority( ned a) reviews the proposal.

“[The] Neda requested us to submit details of the proposal, including the implementing mechanism,” Tutay told the Businessmirror.