President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has welcomed a proposal to create the Private Sector Jobs and Skills Corp. (PSJSC) to upgrade the skills of the Filipino workforce, address jobs and skills mismatch and generate more jobs.

JOB GENERATION DISCUSSION - President Marcos meets with the Private Sector Advisory Council and representatives from different government agencies to discuss ways to boost employment in the country. (Malacañang photo)

This developed after Marcos met with the Private Sector Advisory Council-Job Sector Group (PSAC-JSG) in Malacañang on Thursday, May 18.

In his remarks, the President underscored the need for government and private sector cooperation to generate employment.

The PSJSC is a proposal of the PSAC-JSG that aims to serve as a private sector-led coordinating partnership between the government, industry, and the academe to address the jobs and skills mismatch in the country.

“Well, if it’s private sector-led, then the data gathering function will actually be almost automatic because it’s the private sector that will say ‘these are the things we need,’” Marcos said.

The President directed the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to coordinate with the PSAC-JSG to set the system on how to increase collaboration to reduce the jobs and skills mismatch problem in the priority sectors.

The creation of PSJSC was also endorsed by the Cabinet members present, namely Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual.

A recent study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) found that 40 percent of employed Filipinos have academic credentials beyond what is needed in their jobs.

In a statement, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the PSJSC’s mission is to organize a well-coordinated government-industry-academe national movement to solve the jobs and skills mismatch problem, joined by NEDA, PIDS, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and the Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC).

Angkas Chief Executive Officer George Royeca and AC Health official PSAC Healthcare Sector Lead Paolo Borromeo served as the PSAC resource persons during the meeting, which other PSAC proponents also attended.

"The program eyes to upgrade the skills of the Filipino workforce required by industry standards to accelerate the creation of more jobs in the country’s priority sectors and help the government solve the jobs and skills mismatch problem and deliver skilled workers to those sectors," the PCO said.

The proposed body intends to support and align industry demands with the government’s education and skills training programs to further strengthen the labor force’s skills development efforts.

According to the PCO, the PSAC-JSG recommended the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement among the proposed PCSJS, the member agencies of the Philippine Skills Framework Council, and other relevant government entities to coordinate efforts to address jobs and skills mismatch through research, review of academic programs, inventory of job specifications, skills, and training requirements among others.

The PSJSC will be aligned with the Philippine Skills Framework and National Labor and Employment Plan, which is anchored in the Philippine Development Plan priorities.

Aside from a Private Sector Jobs and Skills Corporation, PSAC-JSG proposed the establishment of a Motorcycle Micro Business Program to fast-track the development and empowerment of motorcycle “nanopreneurs,” as well as to address the shortage of nurses and make the Philippines the number one healthcare services hub.

The PSAC-JSG also envisioned creating two million jobs for ‘habal-habal’ riders to provide transportation services with the highest safety standards.

Also present during the meeting were Vice President and Department of Education Secretary Sara Duterte, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, and Secretary Frederick Go of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Investment and Economic Affairs.