DOLE readies post-COVID-19 recovery plan, eyes generation of 1M jobs

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is preparing a post-COVID-19 crisis recovery plan aimed at generating jobs and providing wage subsidies for workers in various sectors whose livelihoods were affected by the pandemic.

During a virtual presser on Thursday, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the DOLE is ironing out the details of its recovery plan “for the generation of a fresh one million jobs in the provinces for our workers in the coming months.”

The plan also includes a three-month wage subsidy to workers in micro and small scale enterprises, including those in the “gig” economy and members of the mass media, Bello said.

“Since the recovery plan is anchored on the concept of 'Balik-Probinsya,' we will continue and enhance the implementation of the Labor Department’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa ating Displaced/Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) program for the next three months to employ ‘returnees’and those in the barangays,” he said.

For his part, DOLE special consultant Marianito Roque said the Labor Department’s proposed recovery plan will require an initial budget of P25 billion.

“This includes the creation of jobs for ‘balik probinsya’ for a period of 3-4 months,” Roque said.

“Plus the requirement for existing public works contracts to put more people to work on the jobs instead of machinery... also including nurses for occupational safety and health combined,” he said.

The DOLE further detailed the recovery plan as anchored on “Balik-Probinsiya” concept under an umbrella stimulus package called Barangay Emergency Employment Program (BEEP) meant to create and restore employment in every barangay by:

• Requiring public works contractors of the Department of Public Works and Highways to be labor intensive on all existing projects and hire at least 10% additional manpower from the community where the project is performed for the duration of their contracts
• Continuing the TUPAD or Tulong sa Displaced or Disadvantaged Workers for a three-month local works period for every Barangay to employ a mix of workers from the community and returnee workers from “urban-to-rural relocation”
• Providing a wage subsidy for employees for three months duration to micro and small scale enterprises in the provinces to enable them to push-start after brief dormancy. This shall also cover workers in the so-called gig economy or “oncall” workers where there is no regularity of employment including media reporters in the provinces who are paid on “per-report” basis as stringers
• Promote social distancing, new health and occupational standards at the workplace, hiring of 5,000 “new-graduates, new board-passer” nurses for six months to be trained and implement a Nurses for Occupational Health and Safety Program (NOSH), to be assisted by 15,000 newly TESDA-Trained nurse assistants to be recruited from returning OFWs who lost their jobs (1 nurse-3 assistant ratio). 

“They will be working in their respective communities to check on the occupational health practices of business enterprises, and assist in the Barangay promotion of COVID-19 protection measures at the rural communities,” the DOLE said.

For overseas employment, the recovery plan includes an expanded AKAP or financial assistance for displaced OFWs; agri-business/backyard business; expansion of educational assistance for OFW dependents; existing livelihood programs; and enterprise development and loan programs. --KBK, GMA News