ILO-backed initiative eyes decent work

The government has launched its pivotal 10-year Trabaho Para sa Bayan 2025-2034 (Jobs for the Nation) first labor market plan, which aims to promote decent work, advance business opportunities and create a robust framework for sustainable and equitable growth.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) supported this initiative by providing technical assistance and resources for regional consultations and reviewing the plan.

Highlighted was the plan’s potential to shape a future where people have access to safe, decent and secure jobs with living wage.

The plan, signed into law as Republic Act 11962, reflects the country’s commitment to addressing employment challenges and fostering labor market development.

Rapid changes

Anchored on the aspirations of AmBisyon Natin 2040, a long-term vision for the Philippines that will guide the country’s development planning until 2040, the plan also responds to a labor market landscape shaped by rapid digitalization, geopolitical tensions, climate change and demographic shifts.

“These evolving trends underscore the urgent need for adaptive policies that foster economic growth and offer essential support to Filipino workers as they navigate these evolving challenges.”

“With our collective effort, we will create an inclusive, efficient, and dynamic labor market environment where Filipinos can access meaningful, quality jobs,” said Secretary Arsenio Balisacan of the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev).

The plan aligns with the Philippine Development Plan 2023-28 and the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan 2023-28, serving as the Decent Work Country Program.

It results from extensive consultations and social dialogue through a multi-stakeholder and whole-of-society approach, involving representatives from the government, workers, employers, informal economy, marginalized and vulnerable groups, women, youth, education and training institutions, and development partners.

In the plan, they have collectively defined the future they want and do not want and imagined the future of work.

Market challenges addressed

“The Trabaho Para Sa Bayan Plan lays out comprehensive strategies to tackle key challenges in our labor market — from skills mismatch and youth unemployment to job security, digital and technological disruptions, labor migration and Overseas Filipino Workers’ reintegration, and all these while ensuring that our workforce remains resilient and ready for the future of work,” Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said.

Khalid Hassan, director of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines, recognized the Philippines for joining global initiatives to accelerate job creation, social protection, and its commitment to social justice.

Representatives from the Asian Development Bank, the Australian Embassy in the Philippines, and the World Bank joined him.

“We must ensure inclusivity and amplify the voices of informal economy workers. Without social dialogue, we will face significant challenges. We are confronting multiple, interconnected crises and deep-seated inequalities in societies, conflicts, and growing uncertainties. All the gains are at risk,” Hassan emphasized.

“The status quo is unsustainable. We must move forward and achieve social justice to meet these challenges.”