The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday said it has proposed a P45 billion budget for the fiscal year 2025 in a deliberation before the House appropriations committee last week.

DOLE's P45 billion budget under the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP) is 26.9 percent or P15 billion down from DOLE's P61 billion budget this year under the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

This, however, is higher than the P39 billion budget under the 2024 NEP.

Based on the proposed budget, P34.36 billion (76 percent) is allocated for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses, P7.36 billion (16 percent) for personnel services, and P3.56 billion (8 percent), for capital outlay.

Of the overall budget, 54 percent is set for DOLE’s attached agencies, namely the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (P18.50 billion), the Professional Regulation Commission (P2.71 billion), National Labor Relations Commission (1.50 billion), National Conciliation and Mediation Board (P329.27 million), National Wages and Productivity Commission (P351.21 million), and the Institute for Labor Studies (P95.56 million).

The major programs, activities, and projects of the Department will also receive a huge chunk of the budget, with P1.22 billion for employability and competitiveness, P979 million for workers’ protection and industrial peace, and P17.66 billion for social protection of vulnerable workers, which also covers Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/DisplacedWorkers (TUPAD), DOLE’s emergency employment program.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said the proposed budget “is intended to drive social and economic transformation that will foster prosperity, inclusive growth, and stability” in support of the Labor and Employment Plan (LEP) 2023-2028 and the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act.

“Our mandate is clear: create jobs, protect workers’ rights, and promote industrial peace," Laguesma said.

"With your all-out support for our 2025 proposed budget, we can continue fulfilling these responsibilities to build a fairer, more inclusive, and productive labor market for the benefit of every Filipino,” he added.