The government has launched a new initiative aimed at expanding job opportunities for Filipino women and increasing their participation in the labor market.

The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev), in partnership with the Australian Government’s Investing in Women initiative, introduced the “Juana Trabaho” program on Tuesday. The initiative provides a strategic framework to improve women’s access to quality jobs and address barriers that limit their participation in the workforce.

The program supports the objectives of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan 2025–2034, which aims to strengthen the labor market by addressing challenges such as skills mismatch and shifts in the economy.

It also promotes alternative and flexible work arrangements to encourage greater labor force participation among women and other vulnerable groups.

Despite the Philippines’ high global gender equality rankings, women’s participation in the labor market remains lower than men’s due to factors such as unpaid care responsibilities, limited access to flexible work arrangements, and uneven job quality.

According to the Labor Force Survey, the female labor force participation rate declined to 53.7 percent in 2025 from 54.7 percent in 2024.

“This reality underscores why increasing women’s labor force participation is a clear priority of the Philippine government. Under the TPB Plan, we aim to raise female labor force participation to 59 percent by 2034. Achieving this requires not only creating quality, secure, and accessible jobs for women but also ensuring that these jobs align with emerging industry demands brought about by a modernizing economy,” said DEPDev Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan.

The initiative also forms part of the Australia–Philippines Development Partnership Plan 2024–2029, which supports programs that promote women’s economic empowerment.