Due to extended quarantine and the pandemic-induced economic crash, our country has among the highest jobless rates in Asia.
This is according to the state-run think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies which has advised legislators and politicians to cultivate a vigorous and resistant workforce for the jobs of the future.
In a paper titled Reset and Rebuild for a Better Philippines in the Post-pandemic World, its researchers implied that jobs lost to the pandemic could be resuscitated and made robust from “economic shockwaves” if the Philippines would seriously fund reskilling and upskilling programs, revamp the social protection system to cover the growing employment in the gig economy, and strengthen health support programs, improve digital readiness and address the digital divide, and invest in the future workforce.
In one of his speeches, Sen. Joel Villanueva, who also chairs the Committee on Higher and Technical & Vocational Education, said “The future of work is already here, even before the pandemic. The COVID-19 only served as an accelerant of trends already well underway, especially in digital technology, artificial intelligence, and even robotics. Now more than ever, we should help Filipinos navigate their way to success and take advantage of opportunities that lie ahead.”
Even Sen. Sonny Angara stressed the need for reskilling and upskilling of workers when he said that “During this pandemic, many businesses have to cut costs or start exploring new ways of making money. We cannot operate on a business as usual basis anymore.”
The Senator further emphasized the urgency of reskilling: “Unlike traditional jobs, many of which are now deemed non-essential, digital careers will always be around and we should take advantage of this. We will work with the Department of Education and the Technical Education & Skills Development Authority to provide the necessary digital skills training so our kababayans will be able to avail of these employment opportunities.”
Reskilling refers to an employee learning a new set of skills in order to perform a different job, while upskilling refers to an employee learning additional skills to be better equipped to do his/her job.
As a result of the pandemic, unemployment rates have skyrocketed. This has had detrimental effects on people’s livelihoods and led to a sizeable reduction in the economy.
Growing digital technologies and innovation. While digitalization was underway prior to COVID, the pandemic has accelerated the rise of the digital economy. While companies were previously reluctant to switch their traditional systems to digital, the pandemic almost left them with no choice. If they wanted to continue doing business while the world was in lockdown, they needed to work digitally. This has led to a sharp rise in the development of new apps, systems and software. As a result, employers have had to retrain their workforce to use this technology.
Skills shortages. Digitalization created a demand for new skills. There is now a global shortage of skills connected to new technology-based jobs.
In Dumaguete, workers need to reskill/upskill, too. With hundreds of businesses locking down during ECQ (and even until GCQ) and with some companies permanently closing down, the rate of unemployment and underemployment climbed sharply.
Whoever will become the City’s chief executive after the May 2022 elections must take this matter seriously.
Because next year, to be a college graduate is no longer enough. It is no longer sufficient that one knows how to operate a desktop computer or laptop. To be seen as adequate and equipped, one needs to be knowledgeable in the skills necessary for the digital economy.
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