Manila – Researchers from the Institute for Labor Studies recently attended a public seminar which focused on labor and education titled “Public Seminar on Education and Human Capital Development in the Philippines” last June 19 at the PIDS Conference Hall in Cyberpod Centris in Quezon City.

The seminar was sponsored by Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and featured three PIDS studies, namely, “Senior High School and the Labor Market: Perspectives of Grade 12 Students and Human Resource Officers” by PIDS Senior Research Fellow Dr. Aniceto Orbeta, Jr., "Are We Missing Out on the Demographic Dividend? Trends and Prospects" by PIDS Research Fellow Dr. Michael Abrigo and “Out-of-School Children: Changing Landscape of School Attendance and Barriers to Completion” by PIDS Senior Research Fellow Dr. Jose Ramon Albert.

Dr. Orbeta’s study assessed the likelihood of achieving the employment and entrepreneurship objectives of the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, also known as the K to 12 Program, by examining the experiences of Grade 12 graduating students, as well as the views of firms about the labor market prospects of the senior high school graduates.

Dr. Abrigo’s study focused on the so-called “demographic dividend.” It simulated how the interaction between public policy and population ageing may affect household welfare and fiscal balance in the foreseeable future using the new National Transfer Account time-series estimates for the Philippines. It also showed how investments in education and appropriate labor policies can help the country reap the benefits of demographic transition.

Dr. Albert’s paper also provided a discussion about the status of out-of-school children (OOSC) in the country and provided recommendations for reducing OOSC, and for addressing the demand- and supply-side of bottlenecks to schooling.

Results from these studies will provide additional support and empirical basis for the Institute’s ongoing and future researchers, particularly in the field of employment, policy decision making, labor legislation, and workers’ welfare.

The Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) is the policy research and advocacy arm of the Department of Labor and Employment. For more information on this story, please contact the Advocacy and Publications Division at 527-3590.