Senate bill seeks to create national employment master plan

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 27) – A senator is pushing for a state employment generation and recovery plan that will promote job-led economic growth and provide overall support and services for workers and business.

If enacted into a law, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said Senate Bill No. 2035 or the "Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act" (TPB) will direct all government agencies to enhance industry collaboration and craft integrated and coordinated solutions to labor-related issues.

These issues include potential skills gap in emerging industries, the informality of work, promotion of opportunities to the marginalized and vulnerable sectors, including Overseas Filipino Workers, and expansion of access to active labor market policies and job-skills mismatch.

An inter-agency body will also be formed with the secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority as chairperson. The secretaries of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Labor and Employment will be co-chairpersons.

"The TPB Plan will harmonize and synergize all efforts towards a coherent and cohesive employment policy: Isang plano na magiging direksyon ng lahat ng polisiya, proyekto, programa, at iba pang mga inisyatibo upang patuloy na bumuo at gumawa ng dekalidad na trabaho para sa bayan," Villanueva said.

[Translation: The TPB Plan will harmonize and synergize all efforts towards a coherent and cohesive employment policy: A plan that will be the direction of all policies, projects, programs and other initiatives to continually create a quality job for the country.]