Monthly Archives: July 2017

By Elijah Felice Rosales, Businessmirror, Jul 31, 2017 In Photo: Workers resume the construction of a mixed commercial and residential edifice in Pasay City. The government will release this month its decision on wage-hike petitions filed by labor groups for Metro Manila, which, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said, should be favorable to…

by Stephane Kasriel, Jul 31, 2017 The jobs market is well into the 21st century. So why isn’t our education system? Today’s jobs are vastly different than they were a generation ago. All of us, from Gen Zers to Boomers, are facing a working world that is more changeable and unpredictable than ever.

Read more here.

by Mariejo S. Ramos, Inquirer, Jul 31, 2017 At least 43,000 Filipino professionals have signed an online petition that aims to revisit the requirements for renewing their licenses under Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Act, which took effect last March.

by Aaron Berger, Jul 31, 2017 As developments in artificial intelligence and robotics advance, there is going to be a severe and swift disruption of many working classes. Large swaths of laborers are going to lose their jobs, leading to unprecedented levels of unemployment.

By Richmond Mercurio (The Philippine Star), Jul 31, 2017 MANILA, Philippines – Negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) between the Philippines and the US may not be happening anytime soon, the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines said.

BY PERSIDA ACOSTA, Manila Times, Jul 31, 2017 Dear PAO, Dina referred to me her distant relative named Sharon to be my all-around kasambahay. I was convinced to give Sharon a contract after she passed the character background check, and after I learned that she was forced to seek employment here in Manila in order…

By Rosabell C. Toledo, Jul 31, 2017 It always happens like this. A big fish—like suspected Australian child-sex predator Peter Scully—falls for the bait, and the nation heaves a collective sigh. Harrowing stories about his operation of pedophile rings in various cities in Mindanao go viral, and citizens express disgust, pity for the, mostly minors,…

The case for, and against, redefining “statistical significance.” by Brian Resnick, Jul 31, 2017 There’s a huge debate going on in social science right now. The question is simple, and strikes near the heart of all research: What counts as solid evidence?

Read more here.

By: Jodee A. Agoncillo, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Jul 30, 2017 A priest who heads a Catholic school was arrested on Friday night as he was allegedly taking a 13-year-old girl to a motel in Marikina City.

by Andy Chua, Inquirer, Jul 29, 2017 SIBU, Sarawak, Malaysia — A manager of a massage center has been detained after police rescued four Filipina masseuses who alleged they were forced into prostitution.

Robotic sewing machines help bring clothing manufacturing back to the US. By Kelly McSweeney | July 28, 2017 A quick peek at your clothing tag is a reminder that industrial sewing, like so many manufacturing sectors, has moved out of the US to take advantage of cheap overseas labor. There was a dramatic drop in…

by Pathricia Ann V. Roxas, Inquirer, Jul 28, 2017 Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested two suspected human traffickers and rescued 17 minors being offered for sexual services in Caloocan City on Thursday.

Associated Press, INQUIRER.net US Bureau, Jul 28, 2017 OKLAHOMA CITY — Owners of an Oklahoma hotel and other businesses engaged in a human trafficking scheme that lured workers from the Philippines promising good wages but instead paid them less than the minimum wage, according to a lawsuit.

Read more here.

by Jeremy Goldman, Jul 28, 2017 The companies that think their employees’ digital IQs are unimportant are probably few and far between. After all, in just one decade the concept of “digital” has changed from a niche skill set to something that’s mandatory for virtually all blue-chip companies. If you don’t feel that your employees’…

By PRINCESS CLEA ARCELLAZ, Sun Star, Jul 27, 2017 CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB)-Central Luzon announced on Thursday that it is set to issue a new wage order increasing the minimum wage rates for domestic workers or “kasambahays” in the region.

by ROBBY JOY D. SALVERON, Davaotoday, Jul 27, 2017 Deputy Regional Prosecutor Barbara Mae Flores of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) Region XI expresses concern over the rise of prostitution among teenagers due to human trafficking. In a press conference in Davao City on Friday, July 27 Flores said most cases of human trafficking…

INQUIRER.net, Jul 27, 2017 The number of Filipino families experiencing involuntary hunger has gone down to 2.2 million, the lowest since 2004, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

by Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Inquirer, Jul 27, 2017 Militant lawmakers on Thursday decried the House of Representatives’ approval of a bill rightsizing the government to improve the delivery of public services, saying this may result in massive layoffs of government workers. In a statement, Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate said the bill for rightsizing government…

Read more here.

By Richmond Mercurio (The Philippine Star), Jul 27, 2017 MANILA, Philippines – The government is working on a new certification system that would assure its trading partners globally that there are no sweatshops in the country.

ABS-CBN News, Jul 27 2017 MANILA- Services of job order and contractual workers in government should only be availed for temporary projects or activities.

By ADAM KEALOHA CAUSEY AND KEN MILLER, ASSOCIATED PRESS OKLAHOMA CITY, Jul 27, 2017 Owners of an Oklahoma hotel and other businesses engaged in a human trafficking scheme that lured workers from the Philippines promising good wages but instead paid them less than the minimum wage, according to a lawsuit.

Being at work can take up a huge amount of your life (think around 92,120 hours over a lifetime!), so it’s important to be happy while you’re there. Cultivating an environment that makes you cheerful and positive can dramatically increase your motivation and productivity.

HDT/SunStar Philippines, Jul 26, 2017 Wednesday, July 26, 2017 THE Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) reminded Wednesday private employers in the Northern Mindanao of the approved wage increase for their workers. In a statement, the Dole said that the increased wage rates are already effective since July 16 as provided by Regional Tripartite Wages…

by Sam Shead, Jul 26, 2017 Billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are fighting publicly about the future of artificial intelligence (AI). On Sunday afternoon, while smoking some meats in his back garden, Facebook CEO Zuckerberg questioned why Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and OpenAI is being so negative about AI.

by Ajay AgrawalJoshua GansAvi Goldfarb, Jul 26, 2017 With the recent explosion in AI, there has been the understandable concern about its potential impact on human work. Plenty of people have tried to predict which industries and jobs will be most affected, and which skills will be most in demand. (Should you learn to code?…

by Jeff Morgan, Jul 26, 2017 Robots have been taking our jobs since the 1960s. So why are politicians and business leaders only now becoming so worried about robots causing mass unemployment? Again, in an ideal scenario, humans may be able to focus on doing the things that make us human, perhaps fuelled by a…