New gov’t blueprint for decent employment envisions 7.5 million jobs by 2022

By DTI-OSEC-PRU
December 2, 2016

TAGUIG CITY – A new government blueprint for decent job creation through employment and entrepreneurship from 2017 to 2022 was adopted at the conclusion of the two-day Trabaho, Negosyo at Kabuhayan (TNK) - Employment and Livelihood Summit on December 2.

Signed by Secretaries Ramon Lopez of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Silvestre Bello III of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the “Trabaho, Negosyo at Kabuhayan: A Blueprint for Decent Employment and Entrepreneurship 2017-2022” prioritizes decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, formalization and growth of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), youth unemployment reduction, education and training.

“By 2022, we want to achieve full employment at 5% unemployment rate by creating 7.5 million jobs, mainly in key employment generating sectors (KEGS) such as manufacturing including food processing, construction, tourism, Information Technology-Business Process Management (IT-BPM), transportation and logistics, and retail trade,” Sec. Lopez said.

The commitment is in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly Goals 8 and 9, on the provision of decent work and economic growth, and on building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation, respectively.

The 2017-2022 livelihood agenda envisions the transition of informal and economic units to the formal economy with full respect to fundamental rights and principles at work. It also reiterates the implementation of the Comprehensive National Industrial Strategy to upgrade selected industries that generate employment, integrate manufacturing, agriculture and services, address supply chain gaps, and deepen industry participation in global value chains.

The TNK Summit, participated in by the public and private sectors and some members of the academe wrapped up policy recommendations from previously held sectoral summits to chart a new employment agenda, in line with the administration’s development path.

Sec. Lopez strongly encouraged Summit participants to invest in the Industry and Services sector, as well as in the country’s human capital to help address the perennial problem of skills mismatch and to sustain the growth of Philippines industries.