Council eyed to address job-skill mismatch

TO ADDRESS the jobskill mismatch and the rising unemployment rate amid Covid-19 in the country, Baguio City representative Mark Go filed a bill seeking to create a tripartite council composed of industries, the government, and the academe.

Once passed, House Bill ( HB) 8210 will mandate the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to create a tripartite council with representatives from the government, the business sector, and the academe in charge of policies and programs that will bridge the gap between industry requirements and educational curricula, programs, and training.

Go in his privilege speech delivered before Congress on December 14 said comprehensive collaboration between the three sectors is important to understand the gaps between the country’s educational system and the job market.

“This would also continue creating employment opportunities especially amid economic pressure from the Covid-19 pandemic,” added the solon.

Go cited the country’s October 2020 unemployment rate at 8.7%, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s latest labor force survey.

“The figure is double the country’s recordlow rate of 4.5% in 2019, in light of massive layoffs during the extended community quarantine (ECQ) period. Among these unemployed, 23.9% were college graduates,” he added.

Go said almost 800,000 college students graduate every year, yet several remain unemployed or are not hired for jobs that match their degrees. For example, over 200,000 graduated in Business Administration and related courses, yet only 2.6% are employed in finance and insurance, and 7.6% in administrative and support services.

The lawmaker said

that the multi-sectoral council will study the supply and demand for skills-based labor and help anticipate future industry demands. The council will also determine industry sectors in need of more graduates and skilled workers, the degree programs in demand domestically and abroad, and the industries the country can leverage and capitalize, he added.

The Baguio lawmaker said he hopes this fruitful partnership will lead toup-to-datecurricula, higher productivity results, and more programs that are mutually beneficial to the industry and the academe.

Go stressed the importance of keeping up with the times and modern- day industry demands, while realizing the strengths of the Filipino workforce by ensuring that each Filipino has a job attuned to their abilities.