Both men and women only have 24 hours in every day. A new ADB report shows that how women decide to spend that time differs to men, and that is key to understanding why many women don’t join the formal workforce; and why, if they do, they are still likely to earn less than men…

The two largest multi-media companies, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and ABS-CBN Corp., announced they will lay off hundreds of employees as they enter into the digital era, the next battleground for broadcasting and telecommunication. ABS-CBN Corp., the broadcast network of the Lopez group, has an ongoing “voluntary retirement” offer to employees nationwide, as the…

WITH BARELY a year left for the Aquino administration, the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECoP) has promised anew to push for reforms in the country’s labor code during its annual conference. The move will get rid of outdated provisions in the law which governs the country’s employment practices and labor relations. “Amending the archaic…

MANILA, Philippines – Merchandise exports may have contracted anew in March as effects of the congestion in Metro Manila ports last year continue to linger, UK-based investment bank Barclays said. However, the bank expects a slight improvement with an estimated 2.4 percent decrease in March from the 3.1 percent contraction in February. “Export contraction to…

Women in the Philippines are among the most empowered in the world, with the country ranking among the top 10 in terms of gender equity. The ranking is likely to improve further following the implementation of the Reproductive Health Law.

It is one of our most enduring shibboleths: “Workers are entitled to a just wage, which is defined as no lower than a legal minimum wage (LMW). Only in this manner can we reduce poverty and achieve social justice.”

Labor in the Philippines took a giant leap forward this week when federations nationwide banded together to work for a better life for marginalized sectors. “We do not have to wait for government to do it for us, we will do it ourselves,” declared former Senator Ernesto Herrera. He is the recognized dean of Philippine…

THE Philippines and Canada have signed several bilateral agreements, including the launch of exploratory discussions towards a possible free trade agreement between the two countries, Malacanang said Saturday. President Benigno Aquino III and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper witnessed the signing of the agreements on trade, development assistance, and occupational health and safety, during the…

MANILA, Philippines – The Social Security System (SSS) is now ready to implement its new retirement savings program called Personal Equity and Saving Option (PESO) fund. Launched in September 2014, SSS PESO is an alternative and tax-free investment that offers guaranteed earnings higher than the rates offered in a savings account or bank deposit. The…

The report of the National Peace Council formed by Aquino III to review the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) definitely shows that it was formed merely to ensure the passage by Congress of said document as demanded by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). It is really quite disturbing and ironic that for the purpose of…

While her neighbors were celebrating their fiesta, Thelma was worried that no one had made any reservation or offered to buy the pig she had hoped to sell at fiesta time. True enough no one did and she simply presumed that her neighbors in their small barangay were not doing well financially and had decided…

Militant youth groups criticized the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for allegedly being lenient on higher education institutions (HEIs) that intend to raise tuition this coming school year. “CHED’s claim that it has a strict mechanism in deciding tuition hike applications is nothing but a cacophony of lies,” National Union of Students of the Philippines…

MANILA, Philippines – Filipinas ranked eighth in the list of sexiest women in the world based on a survey conducted by a dating website. The 2015 Sexiest Nationalities survey, conducted by MissTravel.com, cited former Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger, whose father is Filipino, and Filipino-American actress Vanessa Hudgens of “High School Musical” fame. The…

MANILA, Philippines – Manila and several other key cities in Asia are highly vulnerable to rising sea levels, floods and other effects of climate change, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB). On the “at risk list” of the ADB are Bangkok, Dhaka, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, Kolkata, Mumbai, Shanghai and Yangon. ADB Climate…

MANILA, Philippines – More college graduates are taking licensure examinations in order to practice their professions. Data from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)’s Current Labor Statistics showed that the number of examinees for licensure examinations went up to 444,628 in 2014 from 379,584 in 2013 and 401,827 in 2012. The number of board…

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines will continue to be the “exception” in Asia and in the world as its economy is expected to continue its upward growth momentum, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said. “We see falling potential growth in the world and in Asia in general, but the Philippines is an outlier,” IMF resident…

Government has been encountering difficulties in determining the actual number of HIV cases Manila: In an effort to determine the exact number of HIV cases in the country, the Philippines’ Department of Health has offered free testing for the diseases. Health Secretary Dr Janet Garin announced that the government would launch a renewed drive against…

TOKYO — Asian economies will lead world growth in 2015, expanding at a 5.6 percent pace that is level with last year, as recoveries in India and Japan help to offset the slowdown in China, the IMF said in a report Thursday.

In 1985 there were only 13 US billionaires in the world. In 2013, the number had increased to 1,426 with a total net worth of US5.4 trillion. Within a generation – about 28 years – the billionaire class has increased by 10,869%.

A high performer can deliver 400% more productivity than the average performer. Despite this, when most managers look at workforce statistics, all employees tend to be lumped together into a category so broadly defined that it becomes difficult to take meaningful decisions. If your average employee tenure is six years, is that good or bad?…

A mother of two would need to work 50 hours a week at a minimum-wage job to exceed one measure of poverty, a new study found. Demonstrators have protested this year at fast-food restaurants, including this McDonald’s store in Chicago, demanding a higher minimum wage. ASSOCIATED PRESS Minimum-wage employees in the U.S. need to work…

Six steps and eight days. This is what 12 government agencies had been working on and seem quite proud enough to give it the budget for limited print ads in the national dailies recently.

THAT worked out as well as we expected. Almost exactly a year ago, we wrote that the Philippine National Railways (PNR) was a classic government failure of ownership and management. This was at the time when Congress was getting ready to vote on extending the PNR’s operation mandate and life for another 25 years. Of…

HOW about the youth? International Labor Day celebrations are not normally focused on young people when they should be also be the front and center. Work is very much a core youth concern specially in the context of young people in the Philippines.

From the National Economic and Development Authority In a bid to accelerate poverty reduction and promote growth in areas where the poor are found, the NEDA Social Development Committee – Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cluster (SDC-HDPRC) embarked on a concerted effort among the government, private sector, and the poor to ensure that the factors…

HEALTH officials in Central Visayas Health are finding it alarming that the region is now second in areas in the country with the most number of persons afflicted with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or Aids. The health officials urged the public to avail themselves of free voluntary testing…

UN says Manila’s Executive Orders 003 and 030 violate women’s right to access reproductive health information and services MANILA, Philippines – Manila’s local policies harm women’s reproductive health (RH) rights, said the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

MANILA, May 6 (Xinhua) — The Philippine Department of Health ( DOH) said on Wednesday that it expects some 8,000 new HIV/AIDS cases to be recorded by the end of this year.

As part of Interview Intervention: Communication That Gets You Hired, I included what I consider the 14 most effective job interview questions an employer can ask a job candidate. While there are loads of great interviewing techniques and questions, I feel it’s important to balance time and effectiveness when determining whether a candidate and employer…

THE government has released P1.2 billion to be spent on the needs of indigent senior citizens, the Department of Budget and Management(DBM) said on Tuesday. The fund released to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will cover elderly indigents’ social pension. The DBM said that under Section 5 of Republic Act (RA) No.…