The employment situation in 2016 emphasized the importance of raising the competitiveness of human capital vis-à-vis economic development and the need for enhanced public-sector initiative that will spur more quality employment generation. To resolve this, the administration of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte endeavored to prioritize investing on the human capital to elevate the employability of the workforce and implement nationwide infrastructure development program to spur employment opportunities across different regions. Despite the generally upward labor and employment trends, the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to offset the success of the Duterte administration in the world of work.
The vulnerability of the labor market to internal and external shocks warrants a critical analysis on the effectiveness of active labor market policies and emerging trends that affect the workforce. Gauging the performance of the Duterte administration through key labor market indicators determines the strengths and weaknesses of the labor market, as well as the effectiveness of labor market interventions. Using secondary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), this study finds that while the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant setbacks in other labor market variables, the human resource base generally expanded over the course of six years. In the same time frame, this paper finds that the quality of available jobs in the labor market and youth employment also improved albeit at an uneven pace. In comparison to the previous administrations, the priorities outlined in the labor and employment agenda and the socio-economic landscape during their tenure greatly affects the employment situation hence resulting into distinctive achievements in the labor market.
KEYWORDS: key employment indicators, labor market trends, labor market information, labor market outlook
RESEARCHERS: Athena Mari E. Son | Chelsea Nicole P. Pineda