Task force set up in the Philippines to create jobs

Key government agencies have signed a joint memorandum circular to set up the National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS) Task Force.
By: | February 9, 2021
Topics: News | Philippines | Recruitment

The NERS Task Force aims to bump up the number of jobs to boost the local economy badly affected by the pandemic. 

Cabinet secretary Karlo Nograles said, “To the NERS Task Force, there is a lot of hard work ahead, but just thinking of the employment we will help create and keep, and the lives that we will help make better, is more than enough motivation to press on. 

“As backbone of our economic activities, it is incumbent upon us to ensure they get the support they will need to be able to recover,” he said, referring to the 420,000 workers who lost their jobs in 2020, resulting in a 10.2% unemployment rate last year. 

“Our workers are among the most important sectors of the economy. They produce our food, goods and essential products. They also provide the crucial and necessary services we need on a daily basis,” Nograles said. 

NERS will implement government plans to increase support for training, education and opportunities with technology.  

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) have begun coordinating on integrating their employment, livelihood and training programmes. 

READ: Union calls for wage subsidies in the Philippines

NERS will address access to jobs and livelihood programmes, create retraining opportunities to improve employability and refocus jobs to cope with the needs of the current pandemic, Nograles said. 

The DTI, DOLE, TESDA, Commission on Higher Education, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, Department of Natural Resources, Department of Information and  Communications Technology, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Tourism, Department of Transportation, National Security Council and the Office of the Cabinet Secretary signed the joint memorandum, according to Philstar Global.