The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) led the signing of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the Republic Act 11962 or the Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TBP) Act.
NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said on Tuesday, March 12, that before the signing, they first consulted with the representatives from employees, employers, the informal sector, and vulnerable groups to provide their inputs for the final IRR.
The law mandates the creation of a master plan for creating national employment focused on increasing both the number and quality of employment opportunities in the country, as well as enhancing the employability of Filipinos.
“Our next task is to develop the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan, which will serve as the country’s master plan for generating employment and creating high-quality jobs,” NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said during the singing of the IRR.
“We encourage our partners in government, the private sector, employees’ and employers’ organizations, informal sector workers, and other vulnerable groups to actively participate in the upcoming consultations for the development of this master plan,” he added.
The TBP plan is expected to be finished in the fourth quarter of this year and will be divided into three-, six-, and 10-year schemes starting from 2025 to 2035. It will be in sync with the AmBisyon Natin 2040, the government’s long-term economic goal.
It will also contain the targets for employment creation as well as the priority areas that will be the focus of the government’s upskilling programs.
The ceremonial signing was attended by Senator Joel Villanueva, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, Trade and Industry Undersecretary and Officer-in-Charge Ceferino Rodolfo, and other government officials.
The Marcos administration aims to attain a single-digit poverty rate by 2028, yet the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that it stood at 22.4 percent in the first half of 2023, still a decline from the previous record of 23.7 percent.
Meanwhile, the latest Labor Force Survey noted that there has been an increase in unemployed workers of 2.5 million in January compared to the 1.6 million recorded in December last year.