Philippines to create one million jobs as part of COVID-19 recovery plan

The Philippines’ Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) plans to create one million jobs in provinces and rural areas for workers, as part of the country’s post-COVID-19 recovery plan.

The pandemic has brought the Philippines’ economy to a standstill with millions of jobs affected. And as the country looks to recover from the pandemic, Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello III said they are coordinating with other government agencies to come up with a programme to provide jobs to Filipinos affected by the crisis.

The creation of one million jobs is part of a package that includes a three-month wage subsidy for workers employed in micro and small-scale enterprises, including those in the “gig” economy and members of the mass media.

“This is part of a package that also includes a three-month wage subsidy to workers in micro and small-scale enterprises, including those in the ‘gig’ economy and members of the mass media,” he said in his Labour Day message.

“Also, we are deep into the details of a recovery plan post-COVID for the generation of a fresh one million jobs in the provinces for our workers in the coming months.”

Meanwhile, former labour secretary Marianito Roque, who is now a consultant to Bello, said the budget for the recovery plan is at US$493 million. He added that they are still determining the priority areas for the jobs.