Business groups and unions have said they wish to contribute to the formation of the government’s employment recovery plan.
The government is currently looking to ramp up its vaccination of priority groups, which include workers in essential industries.
Senator Joel Villanueva is pushing for a quick approval of a bill to protect freelancers against abuse and exploitation.
This goes against an earlier circular released by the Department of Labour and Employment, which called “no vaccine, no work” policies discriminatory.
The Philippines wants unvaccinated workers not allowed by their employers to enter workplaces to be paid for being present.
A labour group has urged the Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) to investigate companies which discriminate against unvaccinated workers.
Formal workers will be able to receive a one-time cash assistance of P$5,000 (US$100) under the COVID-19 Adjustment Measure Programme.
A US$400-million (₱20.1-billion) loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will expand employment and skills programmes for youth in the country.
“End of contract” refers to a highly contested form of contractualisation where workers are hired for not more than five months.
A group of businessmen has urged the Inter-Agency Task Force to permit employees to go back to their workplaces once 80% of workers are vaccinated.
The Department of Finance (DOF) has said lockdowns caused by new variants of COVID-19 will slow the recovery of job gains.
Business owners have been urged to get safety seals for their establishments in the country’s efforts to re-open the economy.
Government workers who work from home due to the pandemic can claim for internet expenses of P75-300 (US$1.5-6.1) per month.
The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) is against increasing the number of service incentive leave days mandated by law.
President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an executive order to implement a recovery strategy for the country’s labour market.
The Philippine Skills Framework (PSF) has been launched to link the government, industry and the academia to upskill workers.
The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) is leading several business groups in pledging to create at least 1 million new jobs.
Some 1,000 essential workers from Metro Manila and another thousand from other regions are expected to benefit from the programme.
Online work can provide women with more employment opportunities, though it comes with its own limitations and challenges, says DOLE official.
About 35.5 million people will be eligible for vaccination in the government’s efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 and open up the economy.
Government employees who need to report physically for work will receive a hazard pay of P500 (US$10.4) per day.
The Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) is urging the government to include employees who work from home in its A4 vaccination priority list.
The government is expanding its A4 vaccination priority group to include 35.5 million more workers, who will be vaccinated beginning this month.
Employees in the Philippines who are disabled or pass away due to injury-related incidents when working from home will now be compensated.
The Department of Finance (DOF) has said gains in employment cannot be sustained if strict lockdowns are repeatedly being imposed.
Senator Grace Poe has urged for educational programmes to help seniors work from home (WFH) instead of leaving their homes during the pandemic.
HealthJustice Philippines has urged the government to enforce smoke-free workplaces in a bid to fight the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
DOLE has also ramped up the implementation of its programme to provide jobs for seasonal workers, those who are displaced, or underemployed.
In March, the number of unemployed citizens aged 15 and above was estimated at 3.44 million, 747,000 less than from February.
The Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) has included COVID-19 in its list of occupational and work-related diseases.
