President Marcos Jr. orders alignment of training with labor market needs

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed several government agencies to align training programs with labor market demands to combat skills mismatch, unemployment, and underemployment. Speaking at the 26th National Public Employment Service Office (PESO) Congress in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, the President emphasized the need for better coordination between skills development and actual job opportunities.

The directive involves the Department of Education, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). The move follows data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showing 2.77 million Filipinos were unemployed in August, with an unemployment rate of 5.3 percent, while 5.9 million were underemployed.

Several initiatives were highlighted to support the workforce, including 'Trabahong-Dagat', which integrates temporary employment with TESDA certification for coastal communities; 'SkillPass', an integrated work-to-skills-to-certification pathway; and 'Sagip-Trabaho', which provides support for distressed workers.