Gov't unveils comprehensive framework for 10-year employment plan
The Philippine government laid out the comprehensive agenda framing the 10-Year Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB) Master Plan toward sustained, high-quality job creation.
At the two-day National Employment Summit held at the Manila Hotel on June 26-27, the Interagency Committee for Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB-IAC) presented the Plan’s guiding document, which sets forth the following agenda:
Prioritizing the creation of more quality and decent jobs;
Formulating robust employment policies with strong implementation measures, efficient monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and concrete results;
Advocating for equal employment opportunities regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or creed;
Fostering skills development and training;
Collaborating with formal and informal institutions, the national and local government, and workers' and employers' organizations about policy goals;
Addressing future work challenges; and
Ensuring full protection for all workers, recognizing the rights of both workers and enterprises.
NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan emphasized the importance of a cohesive strategy for employment generation as the country works toward social and economic transformation.
He also stressed the significance of anticipating emerging trends and changes in the employment landscape. “This stance will help us prepare a more resilient workforce and enable us to design appropriate policies to support employers, employees, the vulnerable sector, and the informal sector,”
Balisacan explained in his opening message, delivered by NEDA Policy and Planning Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon.
On the second day of the summit, Balisacan, Labor and Employment Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, and Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual officially presented President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. with the Employment Covenant document containing the guiding principles.
In his keynote message, Marcos affirmed, “In line with our priorities, and the outcomes that we desire, and strategies stated in the Philippine Development Plan, the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan, the Strategic Investment Priority Plan, and the Workforce Development Plan, the TPB Plan will be one of the driving forces to help create at least three million new jobs by the year 2028.”
“Altogether, the Covenant and the TPB Plan will ensure an inter-agency and multipartite approach to achieving our objectives for productive, remunerative, and decent employment generation,” he added.
The TPB Act or Republic Act No. 11962 was signed by Marcos on September 27, 2023. The law mandates the creation of a master plan for national employment generation, focusing on increasing the number and quality of employment opportunities in the country and enhancing the employability of Filipinos.
The TPB Act Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) were published on June 24, 2024 and will become effective on July 9, 2024. Under the law, the TPB-IAC will lead the crafting of the master plan in coordination and partnership with other relevant government agencies and stakeholders.
The regional consultations for the TPB Plan will be held from July to September this year. Subsequently, the Plan will be drafted from September to October, with its finalization expected by November. NEDA Public Relations
