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Manila – Institute for Labor Studies researchers Carl Sean E. Pablico and John Emmanuel B. Villanueva, from the Employment Research Division (ERD) presented their studies during the Day 2 Plenary Session of the 21st National PESO Congress streamed from Cagayan de Oro City on September 23-24.

Mr. Pablico, Senior Labor and Employment Officer, presented his study titled, “Facilitating Work in the New Normal: An Assessment of Local Public Employment Facilitation Services and Mechanisms in the Philippines.”

The study looked into how providers of local public employment facilitation services have attuned themselves to the new normal and ensured that the services and mechanisms they implement remained to be accessible, responsive, and unhampered in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study revealed that the implementation of some employment facilitation services and mechanisms were momentarily interrupted due to movement restrictions imposed as a response to prevent the community transmission of the virus, and that implementers had to change their overall strategy in terms of service targets and mode of service delivery to ensure service access.

The study also found that while, in general, services remain to be accessible, there are still some challenges and issues faced by implementers as the pandemic continue to persist, such as lack of employment opportunities, employment recovery, and barriers to fully operate digitally.

Meanwhile, Acting Chief Labor and Employment Officer Villanueva’s presented his 2020 study titled, “Public Employment Services and Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence of Linkage from the Philippines.”

The study offered empirical evidence on the linkage of Public Employment Services (PESs) and labor market outcomes (LMOs) from a developing country context from an accessibility point. It quantitatively assessed the effect of access to institutionalized Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) on regional unemployment and underemployment rates.

The research found that an increased presence of institutionalized PESOs is significantly associated with lower regional unemployment. Results further suggest that access to institutionalized PESOs is particularly indispensable at the municipal level and among regions outside of the country’s National Capital Region (NCR) in addressing unemployment. In line with the study’s empirical results, several recommendations for policy actions and further research were offered.

During the open forum, several PESO Managers, particularly from Region 3, requested for copies of the study as it will “provide veritable supporting evidence to convince local employment coordinators to make the institutionalization happen.”

Another feedback from Fedencio R. Dasalla, Jr., from PESO Santiago City, Isabela echoed that the study is a good resource for an on-going study titled, “Assessment of Programs and Services of PESO, a Passing Review.”

Download copy of “Public Employment Services and Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence of Linkage from the Philippines” here: https://bit.ly/2ZGufEO

Download a copy of “Facilitating Work in the New Normal: An Assessment of Local Public Employment Facilitation Services and Mechanisms in the Philippines” here: https://bit.ly/2ZIxuLW