Seven strategies to avert Philippine youth unemployment

Country plans to prepare young people to be strong workers locally and abroad

Manila: The Philippine government will work for improved safety nets for Filipinos working abroad, one strategy that observers said will help mitigate youth unemployment in the Philippines, sources said.

There are strong signs that the Philippine government is preparing to send more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) abroad who are conscious of their rights and have strong cultural identities so that they would not be psychologically and emotionally lost while earning money abroad, said the same source who requested for anonymity.

Although the Philippine government has not officially made a policy of sending workers abroad, its plan to prepare young people to be strong workers to put an end to youth unemployment in the Philippines “has that essence,” said the same source.

“For example, minimise risks of migration was one of the seven strategies arrived at by the labour department and its bureau of workers with special concern, during workshop that tackled solutions to the rising number of unemployed young people in the Philippines,” said the source.

The Philippine government has been trying to minimise problems of OFWs by setting up offices of the labour department beside Philippine embassies abroad.

“Minimising risks of migration – means a pro-active approach to minimize the problems encountered by OFWs while abroad. Setting up labour offices in Philippine embassies has been criticised as a reactive approach,” the source compared the government’s old and new approach in making OFWs less vulnerable.

Another strategy pointed out during the workshop, “promote education and training that can help people get jobs,” has been identified as a retooling of Philippine education system to prepare Filipinos to work abroad, said the source.

The government should instead promote higher education for Filipino students to prepare them for higher-paying jobs abroad, said the same source, adding that the government’s aim to retool education “only make students aim for low-paying jobs abroad”.

“Strengthen people’s awareness of labour rights,” another strategy arrived at during the workshop, would prevent overseas Filipino workers from becoming victims of unfair labour practices abroad, said the source.

This approach should be coupled with government’s efforts to eradicate human traffickers and illegal recruiters, most of them Filipinos who prey on ignorant Filipinos who want to work abroad, said the source.

“Improve information on labour market,” another identified strategy, should best be addressed to the government so that young people who want to work abroad do not become dependent on illegal recruiters who promise “ghost job”, said the source.

Another prescriptive strategies – provide venues for young people’s voice or promote appreciation of Philippine culture – are meant to strengthen Philippine identity, to prepare Filipinos survive a multi-racial work place, said the source.

It has been proven, however, that Westernized and well educated Filipinos more than those who grew up in far-flung provinces, have a higher batting average of overcoming the problems of working abroad, said the source.

The government’s seven strategies to stop youth unemployment were culled from a paper entitled “Alternative Pathways: Toward Charting an Actionable Framework for Youth Employment and Migration.”

These strategies will be discussed during the International Labour Conference’s session on youth employment crisis.

But one of the aims of the session is for the Philippine government to find alternative jobs in the Philippines, for young people.

There are nine million OFWs abroad. They represent 10 percent of the country’s population of 93 million.

The OFWs sent $ 20 billion to their relatives in the Philippines in 2011, making the OFWs a major source of government revenue.

In 2010, some 2.3 million young Filipinos with ages 15 to 24, were unemployed, the International Labour Organization said.

About 74.8 million young people in the same age bracket worldwide were unemployed in 2011, ILO said. –Barbara Mae Dacanay, Bureau Chief, Gulf News