1M new jobs pledge may face delay, said ECOP
The generation of one million new jobs pledged by the private sector in the Philippines is unlikely to be accomplished by the end of 2021 due to the government’s imposed lockdown and quarantine restrictions, said Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP).
During a virtual forum, ECOP Governor and chair of Jobs Creation Committee Ferdinand Ferrer said that their schedule has already been delayed due to quarantine regulations in the National Capital Region (NCR) and various provinces in the country.
Ferrer added that amid the one-month delay, they are collaborating with the National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS) Task Force to still push the fulfillment of the pledge by the end of this year.
“Our mindset is we are still trying to complete (the 1 million jobs [pledged] by [the] end this year) but the indication is there is [a] difficulty,” the ECOP governor said.
To help with this initiative, the government and private sector are partnering in the immediate vaccination of employees nationwide. Additionally, ECOP and NERS are working on the issuance of health travel passes for workers who cannot come to the worksites because of the health protocols.
As of last June, there are about 260,000 to 270,000 newly hired workers in the Philippines. The additional new employment in the country is forecasted to come from the electronics, outsourcing, construction, and tourism industries.
