The Marcos government said it is sparing no effort to generate and ensure more quality, decent and sustainable jobs for Filipinos as it commits to lowering the 3.1 percent unemployment rate in December.
This developed as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said it expects more seasonal jobs to be generated in connection with the midterm elections in May and the campaign period that starts today.
“We concluded 2024 with stable employment and improving job quality. These achievements reflect the progress that we have accomplished as we continue to implement the strategies outlined in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028. They also reflect our sustained economic momentum toward creating more and better job opportunities for our fellow Filipinos,” National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said yesterday in a press briefing in Malacañang.
Edillon said the country’s unemployment was at 3.1 percent in December, unchanged from December 2023, which brought the full-year 2024 rate to 3.8 percent, the lowest since 2005.
The underemployment rate dropped to 10.9 percent from 11.9 percent during the same period, she added.
This indicates that the quality of jobs is improving, with fewer working Filipinos looking for additional sources of livelihood or additional working hours to raise their income, Edillon said.
“Now, while much has been achieved, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has reiterated that there is no room for complacency, and we are committed to bringing in high-quality jobs for Filipinos,” she said.
According to Edillon, the government will continue to push its economic transformation agenda and ensure the robustness of the Philippine economy by enhancing growth drivers through innovation, technology and strategic investments.
DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, in the same briefing said more than 200,000 jobs in the fields of power and renewable energy, and electronics manufacturing, among others, have been generated from the foreign trips of the President in the past years.
He said about 201 investment-led projects, valued at over US$76 billion or P4 trillion, have been generated from the President’s trips abroad.
Laguesma said the administration is also working on “Trabaho Para Sa Bayan” that will outline its plans to generate more jobs and improve the quality of work in the country in the next three to 10 years.
According to Laguesma, the administration will also continue to improve employment levels and lower the underemployment rate, whether there is a political exercise or no.
He said while many seasonal jobs are to be generated this election period, DOLE is not banking solely on the political exercises to create more employment.
These jobs, while providing income to Filipinos and helping keep families together, are temporary and the administration wants long-term, sustainable, quality jobs, he added.
“Every year, we monitor emerging occupations to be able to respond and address changes and developments. These include geopolitical events,” he said.
Laguesma, however, could not say how many jobs are generated in connection with the election and campaign period, while Edillon said NEDA has yet to start its study on the supply and demand for jobs linked to elections.
