In a bid to address concerns on youth employability within the ASEAN region, the Department of Labor and Employment said on Friday that the agency is working on implementing various programs aimed at keeping the youth in school and improving their skills to allow their seamless transition from school to productive employment.

This was stated by DOLE Undersecretary Carmela I. Torres during the ASEAN Regional Dialogue on Young People's Skills, Employability, and Transition to Decent Work on 17-18 October in Jakarta, Indonesia.

More than 150 representatives from the governments, UN agencies, youth, the private sector, and workers and employers' organizations attended the two-day event. The attendees have adopted a lifecycle approach to youth employment and skills, emphasizing the importance of green and digital skills and jobs in the present education systems and labor markets.

Torres stated that the country's youth are faced with employability challenges including a delayed transition from school to work, an increase in unemployed youth, education, training, skills mismatch, and shifting demographics in the workplace.

Through the agency's youth-focused initiatives, including the Special Program for Employment of Students, Government Internship Program, Jobstart Philippines, Career Development Support Program, and Assistance to First-Time Jobseekers Act, DOLE aims to enhance the employability of Filipino workers and expand their access to employment opportunities within an environment that promotes lifelong learning and shared labor market governance.

The said strategies are also in line with the goals of the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan 2023-2028.

The ASEAN Joint Recommendation, which also stressed the need for more partnerships with the private sector and young people to achieve fair opportunities for the region's youth, will include the Philippines' youth employment strategy.