ASEAN integration to create 3.1-M jobs in PH – study

MANILA – An estimated 3.1 million jobs may be added to the Philippine labor market from ASEAN integration, a study shows.

The study, titled “ASEAN Community 2015: Managing integration for better jobs and shared prosperity,” revealed that demand for high-skilled employment such as managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals could increase by nearly 60 percent due to the creation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

Medium-skilled employment, meanwhile, could grow by around 25 percent. This includes clerks, craft and related trade workers, plant and machine operators and assemblers, and service and sales workers.

Low-skilled work could also rise significantly by more than 60 percent, according to the study, which was prepared by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

“If decisive policy action is taken, AEC has the potential to ensure sustained economic growth centered on decent and productive work–thus, help the Philippines achieve its goal of inclusive growth that creates jobs and reduces poverty,” said Lawrence Jeff Johnson, director of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines.

However, the increased demand highlights the country’s needs to improve its training programs and social protection or else risk worsening poverty.

“At the heart of promoting decent work is the goal of ensuring that the outcome yields workers that are mobile, job-ready, skilled and competent, which in turn should help produce sustainable and competitive enterprises,” said Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.

The AEC is a single common market and production base that is expected to take shape in 10 ASEAN nations, including the Philippines, by the end of 2015.

According to the study, among the priority areas for action in the Philippines include creating better jobs; enhancing social protection programs; upgrading skills to meet shifting demand; expanding schools; and improving legal and social protection for migrant workers. –ABS-CBNnews.com