Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said that he expects that unemployment could be stemmed by the full implementation of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB) law.
Villanueva made the statement after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the unemployment rate increased to 4.5% or 2.15 million jobless Filipinos in January 2024 from 3.6% or 1.60 million jobless Filipinos in December 2023.
“It’s lamentable that we seem to have more and more of our kababayans caught up in the cycle of joblessness. We must not stop finding ways to create more sustainable jobs and livelihood by placing employment at the heart of economic development,” he said.
Villanueva announced the signing of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the TPB Act next week, which will signal its full rollout.
One of the key reforms introduced by the Senator to generate employment, TPB will create a national masterplan to address unemployment, underemployment and youth unemployment.
The Majority Leader said the new law will address the seasonality of employment, which gives work to individuals only during certain times of the year.
“While we acknowledge these types of jobs, we will continue to work for something that will give our workers security in the workplace and social protection, not to mention a fair income,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader recently sponsored in plenary the companion measure of the TPB, the Enterprise-Based Education and Training (EBET) bill aimed primarily at addressing the persistent problem of job-skills mismatch in the country, by fostering partnership with the private sector in upskilling or re-tooling of the Filipino workforce.
Villanueva said the bill will help bridge jobseekers to potential employers through the EBET program.
“Kailangan pong komprehensibo ang paglapat ng lunas sa problema sa unemployment sa pamamagitan ng paglikha ng maraming oportunidad sa trabaho, kasabay ng pagkakaroon ng angkop na kasanayan para sa ating mga manggagawa,” Villanueva said.