Jobs bill closer to passage as House adopts Senate version

The "Trabaho Para sa Bayan" bill on Tuesday moved closer to passage after the House of Representatives adopted the Senate version of the measure tagged as one of the priorities of the Marcos administration.

Through a voice vote, the chamber agreed to adopt the provisions of Senate Bill No. 2035, which establishes a Jobs Creation Plan that will serve as a national master plan on employment generation and recovery, as well as  promote programs on skills development and enhancement to create decent employment, employability, competitiveness, wellness, and productivity.

The bill also tasks the inter-agency council composed of various government agencies to draw out three-year, six-year, and 10-year development timeline for the bill’s vision, mission, and goals.

In addition, the bill will cover national, regional, and local government units without prejudice to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to opt in adopting its own regional employment plan.

The Senate version names the National Economic Development Authority as the Inter-Agency Council for Jobs and Investment tasked to come up with measures for the following:

•     Support for the establishment, continuity, and growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) including start-ups
•     Skilling, upskilling, reskilling of the workforce
•     Encouraging and providing incentives to employers and other private organizations that offer training, technology, knowledge and skills transfer, upskill and reskilling, apprenticeship, work immersion, and on-the-job training and similar activities geared towards the improvement of the workforce
•     Empowering the workforce on their rights and obligations under the Labor Code of the Philippines and other rules and regulations
•     Identifying priority sectors, key and emerging industries, and other activities with high employment potential
•     Expanding the implementation of active labor market policies, information and programs, including employment facilitation and reintegration support for overseas Filipino workers, and utilizing means to improve accessibility and efficiency in delivering such services
•     Enhancing tripartism and social dialogue among workers, employers and the government and increasing the participation and representation of marginalized and vulnerable sectors in various labor issues and concerns
•     Addressing youth unemployment by identifying challenges in the school-to-work transition of new entrant in the labor market
•     Providing support and promoting the welfare of all workers in new forms of work arrangements such as freelance work, whether in-person or through online platforms or gig economy
•     Formulating integrated plans and incentives to encourage and facilitate the transition of workers and enterprises from the informal to the formal economy
•     Promoting the adoption of ethical and fair recruitment standards and practices to protect the rights of migrant workers, promote decent work, and enhance the global competitiveness of Filipino workers
•     Full-cycle reintegration of overseas Filipino workers

The Senate version provides for a twice a year reporting of output as against the House version which only mandated annual reporting.

The Senate version also makes available access to cooperatives, apprenticeship, and grievance committee which are not present in the House version.

The Senate passed the bill on third and final reading last May 2023.—LDF, GMA Integrated News