Provide long term solutions for job generation, Villanueva tells gov't

Senator Joel Villanueva has urged the government to provide long term solutions for job generation in order to address the high poverty incidence in the country.

Villanueva made the statement after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported an 18.1 percent poverty incidence, which translates to 19.99 million Filipinos who consider themselves poor in 2021.

The PSA also reported a 7.8 percent unemployment rate for 2021, equivalent to 3.71 million jobless Filipinos.

“The government should ensure that there are quality job opportunities for Filipinos so that they can escape poverty. These should be sustainable jobs with income enough to feed families and provide their basic needs. The longer they are unemployed, the poorer they get,” Villanueva said.

Villanueva filed Senate Bill (SB) 129, or the Trabaho Para sa Lahat ng Pilipino Act, which would institutionalize the government’s National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS) and expand it to be the National Employment Action Plan (NEAP) to address the issue of unemployment in the country.

The NERS initially planned to create up to two million jobs by the end of 2022, and has reportedly generated ome million jobs as of the end of 2021 according to then-Department of Trade Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez last May.

“We should follow through beyond this short-term strategy which ends this year. We need a systemic and long-term solution for job generation to beat the system of long-term poverty in the country,” Villanueva said.

“This bill will stimulate national and local growth and development through investment incentives linked to the creation of more decent employment to address unemployment, underemployment, and rising precarity and informality of work arrangements”, the senator explained.

Senate Bill (SB) 129 also aims to promote the employability, competitiveness, wellness, and productivity of workers through efficient and effective delivery of skills development and enhancement programs, and maximization of opportunities in the labor market in a post-Covid-19 world.

“Our proposed measure will also help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to provide support and incentives and ensure the security and preservation of employment,” he added.

The lawmaker noted that the administration’s target of reducing poverty by nine percent by the end of six years is possible as long as there are quality jobs available.

“By addressing unemployment, we are on the right track to reduce poverty in the country,” Villanueva said.