In a bid to improve public employment, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) partnered with the World Association of Public Employment Services (WAPES) and Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

The Japan-WAPES Joint Project for the Philippines is designed to equip DOLE and its 1,592 Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) with advanced capacities and best practices to further enhance service delivery.

"The opportunity to discuss this collaborative endeavor among DOLE, WAPES, and Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is very important for the Philippines,” DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said.

"I look forward to a successful undertaking that will not only strengthen our partnership but also significantly enhance the delivery of our employment services," Laguesmq added.

Employment and Human Resource Development Cluster Undersecretary Carmela I. Torres emphasized 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 masterplan.

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

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. underscored the importance of robust public employment services during his state of the nation last year, where the contribution of PESOs to enhanced labor-industry coordination was recognized, leading to a 98 percent job placement success rate in 2024.

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

Another high-level meeting is scheduled to take place in Japan next month to further discuss the project’s details.

The agenda will focus on DOLE’s Five-Point PESO Agenda, which covers the institutionalization of PESOs, personnel capacity development, the delivery of core public employment service functions, the strengthening of linkages among government, industry, and educational institutions, and the acceleration of digital transformation.