By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter
AGRICULTURE modernization and updating the education system need to be the next steps after the government’s decision to tout infrastructure as the driver of employment, labor groups said.
“We advocate for a comprehensive approach to national development that extends beyond infrastructure projects,” Jose G. Matula, president of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW), said in a Viber message.
“In addition to infrastructure, the FFW calls for a renewed emphasis on agri-industrialization, recognizing the potential of agriculture to drive economic advancement and create employment opportunities in rural areas.”
Public Works Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan said on Tuesday that the labor requirement for major infrastructure projects will exceed three million workers.
He said earlier that the projects will include farm-to-market roads undertaken alongside the Department of Agriculture, which are valued at about P890 billion.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma said his department will collaborate with the DPWH to hire skilled and unskilled workers for the 70,000 ongoing major and minor infrastructure projects this year.
Mr. Matula said partnerships with the education industry are crucial to equip the workforce for the modern workplace.
On Tuesday, Mr. Laguesma presented his department’s labor and employment plan to the Cabinet. The plan called for greater coordination with other agencies to create sustainable jobs and ensure social protections for workers.
“Major infrastructure projects of the government would surely make a dent in the country’s job generation for a certain period of time,” Renato B. Magtubo, chairman of Partido Manggagawa, said in a Viber message.
He said that the DPWH should provide DoLE and other agencies with complete details of the infrastructure projects it was working on, to develop specialized, comprehensive upskilling programs.
“We want the private sector to be part of our plan to create more jobs with important government agencies,” Mr. Laguesma said at a Palace briefing on Tuesday. “We want them to see the manpower requirement to complete these projects.”
The jobless rate rose to a three-month high of 4.3% in June, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported on Wednesday.
Job quality deteriorated as the underemployment rate, which measures those employed who are seeking more work or longer hours, increased to 12% from 11.7% a month earlier. This was lower than the 12.6% posted in June 2022.