By Phoebe Salvador
Eagle News Service
(Eagle News) — Projecting over a million of new jobs created yearly due to the government’s massive infrastructure program, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) emphasized the need to ensure that the laborers’ skills and competencies match the industry’s needs.
“To fully maximize gains from ‘Build Build Build,’ the Philippine labor market should be ready to meet the infrastructure program’s requirements. Bodies governing the education and labor sectors have a crucial role in this,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said.
Pernia pointed out that key government agencies such as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) should coordinate with industries to identify appropriate skills for construction-related activities.
Pernia noted that education programs like the K to 12 should produce a more appropriately trained and skilled workforce, adding “The K to 12 program requires a strong academe-industry linkage to prepare students after graduation. ‘Build Build Build’ presents real opportunities for those in search of work.”
Similarly, Pernia stressed that attention should also be given to returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are skilled or need re-training to be absorbed in the construction industry.
NEDA likewise proposed that all job requirements of the ‘Build Build Build’ program be posted on www.PhilJobsNet.gov.ph, the Philippine government’s official online job site so that returning OFWs are kept abreast of new opportunities in the country.
“Apart from closing the country’s infrastructure gap, our aim is to create many employment opportunities and assist Filipino families in achieving the kind of life that they desire,” Pernia said.
NEDA earlier stated that it expects an average of 1.1 million jobs to be generated annually, mostly from the construction sector, in line with the “Build Build Build” program of the Duterte administration. For this year, around 820,000 new jobs are specifically projected with a number of infrastructure projects breaking ground.
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Labor Force Survey, NEDA reported that 420,000 jobs in construction were created in 2017, a 13.2 percent increase from 2016’s figure.
