Villanueva

Developing a future-ready Filipino workforce requires upskilling or retooling of workers,” Villanueva said.

Villanueva noted, however, that the incentives under CREATE may be inadequate to increase the ratio of workers trained. “Only a few enterprises may be qualified for the packages of incentives under CREATE, but practically all would greatly benefit from training incentives if they are given the option to have it,” according to the lawmaker. To encourage employers to provide training for their workers, Villanueva said he intended to propose expanding the availability of enhanced deductions on training across industries, and ensure smooth processing of businesses’training-related expenses. “There are jobs or tasks at risk of automation that are present in almost all industries. By making training less costly, we encourage an enterprise to expose its workers to the other processes involved in the business and to retool or upskill them for the skills needed. We encourage the enterprise to give our workers a chance. This way, in fact, we even help the enterprises survive and adapt to the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” the senator said.

“Doing so also prepares the economy to better brace itself for the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This sends a policy signal to every Filipino worker and employer, that it is the policy of the state to support continuous investments in human resource and development,” he added.