Youth employability surveys in the Philippines: an integrative report

One of the most serious and longstanding problems of the Philippines is that of providing adequate employment opportunities for young people entering the workforce. As part of the two-year project (2005–2007) concerned with obtaining better recognition and understanding of the employment situation of young men and women, the ILO commissioned a survey of the youth situation among seven pilot areas of the country in order to provide a baseline of comprehensive and systematic gender disaggregated data as a basis for analysis and policy development. This paper reports on the findings of that survey.

The study found that while the desire to improve their lives through decent work was common to all demographic areas and social classes, various factors operate to thwart the goal of attaining decent work for many. These include gender, education, location, civil status, age and social class. There is no “one size fits all” policy that can solve this dilemma. Rather LGUs need to examine their local situation and craft policies and interventions that are specific to their local needs.

This paper summarizes the findings of the survey across the different demographic areas and youth subgroups. It draws conclusions and makes recommendations for the future.

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