More green jobs sought for Filipino workers

More green jobs are being sought for Filipino workers to keep up with the challenges of climate change and the shift to cleaner, more sustainable economic practices, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported Monday.

This comes as DOLE officially launched the National Green Jobs Human Resource Development Plan, which outlines how the country will support a transition to a greener economy by reducing environmental harm while creating jobs, promoting decent work and equal opportunities, and upholding social justice and worker well-being throughout this shift.

“This updated plan proposes a combination of strategies and interventions aimed at enhancing labor market adaptation and resilience, and also at providing protection to workers and employers affected by adverse environment-related events,” OIC-Secretary Benedicto Ernesto Bitonio Jr. said in his keynote speech.

Bitonio added that the strategies now in place include preparing the workforce through stronger education and training for sectors with high potential to create green jobs, as well as implementing more effective policies to support job transformation, attract investments, and generate more jobs.

Meanwhile, Undersecretary Carmela Torres, who chairs the DOLE Technical Working Group on Green Jobs, emphasized in her presentation that the plan, which is the product of inclusive social dialogue since 2019, is rooted in the belief that “the green economy transition is, above all, about people.”

“This plan is a living testament to our promise to develop and safeguard our human resources, ensuring they are equipped with the necessary skills, have access to social protection, rights are recognized, jointly involved and represented in policy discussions, work in safe environments, and provide opportunities to advance the green jobs agenda,” Torres explained.

The National Green Jobs Human Resource Development Plan is an integral part of the Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028, the Labor and Employment Plan 2023–2028, the 2025–2034 Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan, and the Philippines’ commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Multisectoral support

To ensure effective implementation of the plan through a whole-of-nation approach, stakeholders from the employer sector, labor groups, and development partners expressed strong commitment and support. A Green Jobs Pledge was also recited during the event.

The International Labour Organization (ILO), through its Country Director Khalid Hassan, said it “strongly supports the plan’s alignment with the principles of just transition, as outlined in the guidelines adopted by the constituents globally.”

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, through Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza, said the launch “marks the beginning of saving a future of work that honors the dignity of man and the integrity of the planet.”

“As a partner in society, we sincerely join the National Green Jobs Human Resource Development Plan not only as a participant, but as a social partner who carries the interests of workers, a guardian of justice, and a voice for human development and the environment,” said the Federation of Free Workers, representing the labor sector, through its President Sonny Matula.

For the employer sector, Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines Governor Clarine Tobias said their Environmental, Social and Governance Program (ESG) will work well with the government’s green jobs plan.

Philippine Young Entrepreneurs Association National President Gio Ortiz Luis likewise said they are “ready to collaborate, to contribute insights, and to co-develop programs.”