The Marcos government yesterday vowed to sustain efforts to generate more quality jobs in the country and ensure there are available skills to match them amid reports that employment among Filipinos increased in January.
Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro, in a briefing in Malacañang, quoted the PSA report that the number of employed Filipinos in January 2025 rose to 50.65 million from 48.06 million in January 2024.
The PSA said unemployment in the Philippines dropped to 4.3 percent in January 2025, with 2.16 million jobless individuals, from 4.5 percent in January last year.
Compared to the previous month, however, the number of jobless Filipinos rose by more than half a million in January, reflecting the end of Christmas seasonal employment, the PSA said.
Castro, also the palace press officer, said to sustain, if not further boost, labor participation, the government implements re-training and reskilling of workers through programs of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). It also coordinates with industry players to ensure workers have the skills to match available and in demand jobs, she added.
She said the government continues to provide incentives to local and foreign businesses—especially through the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises-Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (CREATE MORE) Act —to lure more investments into the country, which should translate to more jobs.
Castro said that among the available jobs are in the information technology and business process management sector, which requires reskilling and upscaling of workers’ knowledge and skills, ensuring they keep up with the latest technology and innovations.
“We really need more investors. Why? It will generate income. It will allow Filipinos to be employed. So, that’s what we can say in general. We are really working hard,” she said in a mix of Tagalog and English.
Job fairs
In Pampanga, the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) said 2,280 jobs from 30 investors from various industries are currently available. Interested individuals may submit their resumes and application requirements through the CDC’s website.
In Abra, 3,500 beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) have gathered at the “Trabaho sa Bagong Pilipinas para sa 4Ps” job fair for Northern Luzon, the Department of Social Welfare and Development said.
The job fair is organized by the DSWD in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment and other key agencies to help 4Ps beneficiaries get hired and avail of services for pre-employment processing.
