The business sector sees continuing challenges with the fast-evolving work patterns and environment, and other disruptions that may hinder the attainment of decent work and affect employment and livelihood of individuals.

Amb. Benedicto V. Yujuico, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), made the business sector’s sentiment known at the Task Group on Economic Recovery-National Employment Recovery Strategy Job Summit: Geared up for the Safe Reopening of the Economy to mark the Labor Day celebration.

As the country continues to battle the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and transition into a new normal, Yujuico identified these challenges as dwindling market and business confidence; community quarantine restrictions; the necessary shift to digitalization; education and training mismatch; and concerns on ease of doing business and business environment.

According to Yujuico, the dwindling market and business confidence is due to uncertainty, risk, and wait-and-see attitudes that slowed down economic activities, particularly investments and consumption, which then snowballed to lower sales and cash liquidity constraints for businesses, thereby exerting downward pressure on their productivity and operational capacity.

Community quarantine restrictions that caused delays in logistics and disrupted supply chains, prevented free movement of people, goods, and services, added operational costs, and limited business operations and planning, further compounded by unclear government communications, sporadic changes in policy guidelines, and inconsistent implementation of regulations and mobility controls.

The necessary shift to digitalization only revealed the constraints of many businesses on acquiring and applying the resources, tools, and knowledge for digitalization due the lack of electronic devices, reliable internet access, and digital literacy, among others.

Yujuico also stressed the mismatch in education and training to industries’ needs.

There are also serious concerns on the ease of doing business and business environment. Yujuico said the government really needs to further strengthen the ease of doing business by undertaking more deliberate yet flexible policies, accurate in data gathering and monitoring, as well as undertake further streamlining, rationalizing, and easing of government process flows, filing fees, and application requirements, as well as adopting digitalization.

Despite these challenges, Yujuico said the business sector affirms their strong commitment and constant cooperation to realize the outcomes espoused NERS to restart economic activities, restore business and consumer confidence, upgrade and retool the workplace, and facilitate labor market access.