Villanueva to push for strengthening job generation programs

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva on Friday said he will continue to push for the passage of the Trabaho Para sa Lahat ng Pilipino Act, his top bill which seeks to institutionalize a national employment recovery strategy.

In a statement, Villanueva called for the institutionalization to strengthen jobs generation programs through linkages with local government units.

“We will see to it that relevant education and training are funded to arm future workers in landing in sustainable employment or livelihood,” he said.

“The budget coupled with correct policies should lead the path to jobs recovery that will help fix the pandemic-scarred economy and lift the lives of our people,” he added.

Villanueva made the call after preliminary results of the Labor Force Survey showed that there were 2.60 million unemployed Filipinos in July, lower than the 2.99 million in June and 3.23 million in the same month last year.

This translates to an unemployment rate of 5.2%, lower than the 6.0% in June and 7.2% recorded in July 2021.

“We need jobs that are secure and pay decently, not temporary, informal, and insecure, especially amidst rising prices due to inflation which clocked in at 6.3% last August,” Villanueva said. — Joahna Lei Casilao/RSJ, GMA News