THE Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) highlighted the important role of a robust working-age population in achieving socioeconomic development through a state of demographic dividend, with the 64 percent ratio of working-age Filipinos in 2020.
The PopCom referenced the latest Philippine Statistics Authority’s Labor Force Survey, which indicates a continued rise in the employment rate at 94.8 percent in July 2022, estimated at 47.39 million employed people, compared to the 41.67 million in the same period in 2021.
During the seventh edition of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific-Committee on Social Development earlier this month, PopCom Officer in Charge Executive Director (OIC-ED) Lolito Tacardon said that the steadily increasing proportion of the Philippines’ working age aligned with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s goal to reinvigorate job creation and poverty reduction.
“Over the medium term, the agenda will focus on creating more [secured jobs] and social protection and retaining an adequate and productive workforce…. Retooling and reskilling, as well as the institution of effective job-facilitation processes to increase the employability of job seekers, will be strategically pursued,” Tacardon added.
He said that the economy could be steered back to a high-growth path and economic transformation for a prosperous, inclusive and resilient society.
He emphasized how the quality of Filipino human resources would improve with intensified measures such as the Universal Health Care Law and the upgrading of the educational curriculum adapted to the digital revolution.
Social protection for workers is also among the core functions to support poverty reduction and strengthen human-capital investments, including the adoption of the National ID System that will make the delivery of services more efficient through digitalization.
As a major source of global health care workers, Tacardon assured that the national government is exerting efforts to improve Filipino professionals’ status, welfare, protection and benefits through mutual agreements with other countries.
Similarly, the PopCom OIC-ED also said that efforts are being exerted by the national government to address constraints on food, energy, transportation and logistics to provide an affordable and accessible supply of goods and services to all Filipinos.