Marcos vows job boost to fight poverty

Thousands of new jobs for Filipinos are now available following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s commitment during his latest State of the Nation Address (SONA) to provide decent work as a safeguard against poverty.

In his latest SONA, the President highlighted the steady rise in job opportunities across the country and assured continued assistance to unemployed Filipinos through targeted programs from key government agencies.

Per the latest available data, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) noted that 187 certified strategic investments from the P4.6 trillion portfolio of the Marcos administration are in various stages of implementation, generating employment across key sectors, including renewable energy, telecommunications, food production, and manufacturing.

Notable projects include SunAsia Energy’s floating solar power initiative on Laguna Lake, which aims to produce an additional 1,300 megawatts of clean energy while creating green jobs.

In the digital infrastructure space, Pinnacle Towers—supported by global investment firm KKR—is developing 2,000 telecom towers nationwide.

Google is also driving tech employment through career certificate programs and its Taiwan-Philippines-United States (TPU) subsea cable project, set for completion by the end of 2025.

To further boost job creation, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) approved P72.36 billion in investments from January to June 2025—an increase from the same period last year—projected to yield 32,983 direct jobs, up from 25,259 in 2024.

For the full year of 2024, PEZA approved 255 projects—up from 233 in 2023—expected to generate over 72,000 new direct jobs and more than USD 4.6 billion in exports.

PEZA also continues to engage over 50 active investment leads, while the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan is exploring a potential USD 700 million cell power plant with Korean partners, targeting 250 megawatts of capacity and new energy jobs.

These initiatives align with the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan 2023–2028 and the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan 2025–2034, which support the Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028.

In the 2025 Post-SONA Discussion on Education and Workers’ Welfare and Development, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma also highlighted that employment facilitation efforts are ongoing in partnership with the private and public sectors.

These include the monthly conduct of job fairs, the strengthening of the labor market information system and the PhilJobNet online portal, and actively engaging with Public Employment Service Offices and local government units (LGUs) to expand reach and access to available opportunities.

"With LGUs honest and proper communication with DOLE, we are encouraging existing entrepreneurs to strengthen or increase their investment, and secondly, it is related to encouraging new investors," Laguesma added.

To prepare the workforce for these opportunities, the Labor Department is also carrying out upskilling and reskilling programs tailored to the needs of industries spurred by both local and foreign investments.

Laguesma earlier assured that the agency “will continue to craft effective and relevant employment policies, enhance workforce employability and skills, and broaden access to jobs and livelihood opportunities across the nation.”

“Our efforts will be focused and aimed at fostering a truly conducive environment for sustainable and resilient businesses nationwide, always guided by the principles of tripartism, social dialogue, and meaningful sectoral consultations,” Laguesma said.