Govt to create 3 million jobs by 2028 – Marcos

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday said his administration plans to create 3 million jobs for Filipinos by the end of his term.

The President issued the statement as he attended the 2024 National Employment Summit in Manila to kick off the creation of the "Trabaho Para sa Bayan" (TPB) Plan.

In his speech, Marcos called on the labor sector to vigorously implement the plan for the TPB, a 10-year roadmap for greater employment generation and recovery.

"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 3 million new jobs by the year 2028," Marcos said.

He said he wants "quality jobs, with special emphasis on ensuring workers' welfare, empowerment, competitiveness, and security in all sectors of our labor sector."

According to the June 6 Labor Force Survey, most of the labor statistics improved from April 2023 to 2024, with employment rate up from 95.50 percent to 96 percent, and employed individuals from 48.06 million to 48.46 million.

The country's unemployment rate dropped from 4.50 percent to 4 percent. So did the number of unemployed individuals, from 2.26 million to 2.04 million, indicating that 220,000 individuals found jobs.

The survey also showed the underemployed individuals rose by 1.70 percent, or 12.90 percent to 14.60 percent, while the labor force participation rate rose by 1 percent, or 65.10 percent to 64.10 percent.

Based on the Philippine Labor Market, the service sector took up 61.40 percent of the labor industry, followed by the agricultural sector at 20.30 percent, and the industry sector taking up the remaining 18.30 percent.

Marcos said the government has laid out various strategies to generate job opportunities, including the Philippine Development Plan, Philippine Labor and Employment Plan, Strategic Investment Priority Plan, Workforce Development Plan and TPB plan.

"This is why the government is working doubly hard to address the proverbial problems that we have always faced — job-skills mismatch, underemployment, [and] unemployment through the reforms in our basic education curriculum, the embedding of TVET in the senior high school curriculum, and the implementation of employment facilitation initiatives," he said, referring to the technical and vocational education and training in senior high school, which aims at bridging the skills and employment of young Filipino leaders.

Records from July 2022 to May 2024 showed that 2.746 million learners graduated from TVET programs.

The President acknowledged the efforts of the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, and National Economic and Development Authority, and their partners in the employment sector "for shepherding this important plan to this fruition."

"Equally important is the participation and contribution of trade unions, of industry tripartite councils, federations, employers' groups, and other participants during the regional conversations that paved the way to this summit that we are attending today," he said.

The President also lauded them for the signing of the Employment Covenant, a document, he said, that will serve as another crucial input to the TBP Plan.

Marcos called on the private sector "to work closely with [the] government to create more quality and green jobs for our workers."

The President also urged all workers to continue honing their skills and competencies "to be ready for the exciting employment opportunities that lie ahead of us."

He said the government will support this effort and provide that upskilling and reskilling "so that we are competitive not only in the local job market but also in the international labor markets."

"The new technologies that are coming in have changed the priorities of every economy. The arrival of the digital economy, the expansion of the digital space, the soon — actually, it's already here; we just don't quite realize, but the increasing involvement of AI requires the technical knowledge, and the technical training, and experience, for us to be able to participate," he said.