DOLE chief sees employment boost with gov’t programs

FILE: Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III during a press conference on Thursday (Sept. 27, 2018), which is held at the DOLE main office in Intramuros, Manila. (PNA photo by Gil Calinga)

MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is optimistic that the employment situation in the country will further improve with the implementation of programs by the government.

“In the coming months, further improvements can be expected with the easing of quarantine restrictions, the government’s implementation of the ‘Prevent, Detect, Isolate, Treat, and Recover’ (PDITR) strategy, and making safe and sufficient public transport available so that more business can reopen and more workers can return to work and earn income,” DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a statement.

Bello is pleased with the improvements in the country’s employment situation as reflected in the July 2020 round of the Labor Force Survey (LFS).

“This significant progress in the labor market situation is the result of the government’s commitment in containing the Covid pandemic and its impact through the strict imposition of the minimum health standards, provision of safety-net and income support programs to our workers, and the gradual opening of the economy,” he added.

He was reacting to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) report that the easing of quarantine restrictions enabled the restoration of 7.5 million jobs and the return to productive work of 4.

9 million workers compared to the April 2020 LFS.

“Moving forward, the Department is committed to preserve, protect, and facilitate jobs as we support the development and implementation of Recharge PH which is the government’s recovery plan to facilitate the restarting of social and economic activities in a way that is safe, amid the pandemic,” he said.

“Employment facilitation services in different platforms – online, digital, and face-to-face – with the assistance of our public employment service offices, various national government agencies, and the private sector will be provided in order to connect Filipino jobseekers with the much-needed decent jobs for the country and its economy to recover,” Bello added.

The DOLE chief vowed to continue with the social protection programs for the affected workers in anticipation of the enactment into law of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2).

“We are hopeful that the economy recovers into a better normal and would have the capacity to absorb displaced, re-entrants, and new entrants to the labor market,” he said.

“I call upon every Filipino worker and citizen to observe discipline in observing minimum health protocols —wearing of face mask and face shields, washing of hands, and physical distancing —at all times as the health of our economy lies on a healthy workforce,” Bello added.