Electronics workers to be rehired – DTI

MANILA, Philippines – The government said that laid off workers in the electronics industry will now be rehired.

“We are hopeful, that this positive growth will continue in the following months. This is election year and rebound will definitely be a good score card for the Administration’s economic policy,” Trade Secretary Peter B. Favila said in a statement.

The electronics industry, hard hit by the global crisis, has rebounded and this will mean that in time the industry will again start to hire personnel that it laid off last year Favila said.

The DTI said that the 6.8-percent year-on-year increase in exports of manufactured goods helped buoy the year-on-year growth rate of merchandise exports in November 2009. This was mainly supported by the rise in electronic product shipments, the biggest contributor to the country’s exports which grew by 6.9 percent from the same period in 2008

It can be recalled that the government initiated the Comprehensive Livelihood Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP) to help those who were displaced by the crisis.

“Now with the rebound, we expect the export industry, especially the electronics sector to rev up its engine to be in sync with the growth momentum that is happening worldwide,” Favila said.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported earlier that the worldwide semiconductor sales were positive for the first time in 2009 as “2009 ended with sales of many IT and consumer products faring better than earlier projections.”

The recent global crisis is a constant reminder that our country needs to develop more sectors for exports. This the reason for the DTI business development program which seeks to develop industries such as business process outsourcing, food, automotive, health and wellness, furniture, marine, and others. –Ma. Elisa P. Osorio (The Philippine Star)