Palace: PBBM admin to upskill PH workers as foreign investors come to PH

by Argyll Cyrus Geducos, MB

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is preparing for the entry of more foreign investors in the country, particularly by ensuring that the Philippines has a pool of well-educated and highly-skilled workforce, Malacañang said.

(JANSEN ROMERO / MANILA BULELTIN)

In a statement, Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said that the DOLE is paying attention to resolving job mismatch issues by upskilling Filipino workers.

Citing Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, Garafil added that the upskilling of workers must be industry-led and demand- and market-driven so they can find employment that suits their skills. 

In a press briefing, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said the government needed to boost its efforts to digitalize available jobs so workers would have the chance to choose where they want to work and the type of work they wanted to do.

He added that job mismatch issues could also be addressed by conducting jobs fair, with the DOLE focusing on knowing the requirements of every industry to manage them effectively.

Energy supply 

Meanwhile, Garafil said another focus of the Marcos administration is ensuring that the Philippines has a cheap and stable energy supply that could sustain manufacturing industries that create jobs with the expected influx of foreign investors.

Citing Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella, the Palace official said the DOE targets to have 35 percent of the country’s supply coming from renewable energy sources (RE) by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.

In a press briefing, Fuentebella said the shift to RE was timely because of the high fuel prices that burden power-generating plants.

He added that part of the government’s initiative to lower electricity prices is the diversification of energy sourcing.

According to Fuentabella, another government strategy is educating the public on saving energy. He said it would address other issues like inflation, environmental degradation, high electricity prices, and the Philippines’ competitiveness with other countries.