The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has partnered with the World Association of Public Employment Services (WAPES) and Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare to enhance public employment.

The Japan-WAPES Joint Project for the Philippines aims to equip DoLE and its 1,592 Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) with advanced capabilities and best practices to enhance service delivery.

“The opportunity to discuss this collaborative effort between DoLE, WAPES, and Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is extremely important for the Philippines,” said DoLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma.

“I look forward to a successful partnership that will not only strengthen our collaboration but also significantly enhance the delivery of our employment services,” Laguesma added.

Employment and Human Resource Development Cluster Undersecretary Carmela I. Torres highlighted the timely nature of the project, noting its alignment with the government’s commitment under the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan — the nation’s employment master plan.

“This collaboration is a testament to our continuous efforts to improve employment facilitation, and we anticipate it will open the door to meaningful discussions on strategic alignment, best practices and innovative approaches,” Torres said.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. underscored the importance of robust public employment services during his State of the Nation Address last year. He recognized the contribution of PESOs to enhanced labor-industry coordination, which led to a 98 percent job placement success rate in 2024.

Among the notable achievements of the previous year were the registration of three million jobseekers, the solicitation of 5.7 million vacancies, the placement of 2.7 million jobseekers in local and overseas positions and the training of 32,000 jobseekers nationwide.