Employers, government vow to create a million jobs this year
Government and employers vow to create a million jobs this year
MANILA – Prior to the end of end of the 42nd National Conference of Employers, the government and the country’s employers agreed to create employment opportunities to alleviate the suffering of the Filipino workingman severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a Memorandum of Understanding, representatives of different government agencies and business organizations agreed to stem what they describe as “serious unemployment problem,” the government created their National Employment Recovery Strategy popularly known as NERS, which will take effect this year until 2022. It aims to create a policy environment recovery plan optimistic they could create a policy environment that encourages and improved access to employment, livelihood and training opportunities, further improve employability, wellness and productivity of workers, and provide support to existing and emerging businesses.
Government officials and employers opted to implement a partnership project they called “Reform, Rebound, Recover: One Million Jobs for 2021” hoping to identify Filipino talents for immediate deployment in the construction, manufacturing (in semiconductors and electronics), tourism and hospitality, and export industries within the ambit of a policy environment that would be conducive to create jobs nationwide.
Under the MOU, business and employers need to identify job vacancies from its member companies, find jobs for qualified but unemployed, recommend to the NERS Task Force improvements in the business environment, coordinate with the NERS Task Force and provide necessary assistance in post-job Caravan events (onboarding process, vaccination process and reskilling/upskilling referrals, co-organize and participate in job caravans and provide other support and monitoring mechanisms in the implementation of the project.
Meanwhile, the NERS Task Force will coordinate with the IATF-MEID to secure vaccination for workers who will qualify in the partnership project, consult with and provide assistance to businesses, particularly in improving the environment that can generate more jobs, provide workers’ profiles for referral to existing job vacancies, continue to implement the Telecommuting Act and promote other alternative work arrangements in accordance to existing laws and policies, extend training for workers who will not qualify for job vacancies, coordinate with local government units on the provision of transportation services to workers who will acquire their vaccination jabs and need to transfer from one LGU to another, organize and invite relevant stakeholders in job caravans and provide other support mechanisms in the project implementation.
The signatories included Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez, Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III, TESDA Secretary Isidro S. Lapena, Transport Secretary Arthur P. Tugade, Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo M. Ano, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and CHED Chairman J. Prospero E. De Vera III for the government.
For the Employer sector, the signatories were ECOP Chair Edgardo G. Lacson, PCCI President Benedicto V. Yujuico, PhilExport President Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Jr., Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines President Eugene T. Yap, Philippine constructors Association President Wilfredo L. Decena, Philippine Hotel Owners Association, Inc. President Arthur M. Lopez. and Semiconductor and Electronic Industries in the Philippines, Inc. President Danilo C. Lachica. (Melo M. Acuna)
Photo taken during the virtual signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and Employers at the close of the 42nd National Conference of Employers Wednesday afternoon. (ECOP Photo)