October 6th, 2022
House Ways and Means Chair Joey Sarte Salceda (Albay, 2nd district) says the need for programs that “will bridge our unemployed and underemployed to stronger, better jobs” remains necessary amid a jobs market that he called “fluid” in response to the August jobs report which shows that 2.68 million Filipinos were either unemployed or out of business in August, slightly higher than the 2.6 million jobless people record in July.
“The jobs market is not yet consolidating into stronger, better-paid jobs. We still need bridging programs like TUPAD, the Government Internship Program, TESDA training programs, and sustainable livelihood programs by the DOLE and the DSWD,” Salceda said.
“I expect the jobs market to remain fluid as prices continue to sizzle and concerns about the global economy continue to persist. As I said earlier, we are a peripheral economy with little control over actions by global economic giants. The best we can do is adapt.”
“These bridging programs are not dole-outs, but are necessary infusions of both money and productivity in our communities, while the economy is not yet producing jobs as quickly as we hope it would.”
Salceda says he hopes that the Senate and the President will retain appropriations for cash-for-work and other training programs.
“So, I hope the Senate will retain, and the President will not veto, these bridging programs that the House has kept in the 2023 national budget.”
“Inflation-sensitive” jobs
The top three sectors with the largest increases in joblessness are fishing and aquaculture (286,000); construction (258,000); arts, entertainment and recreation (64,000).
“All of these sectors are inflation-sensitive. An increase in fuel costs will always affect fishing, whose major input is fuel. Construction and arts are also highly dependent on real incomes. Inflation eats away disposable income, so these sectors suffered,” Salceda added.
Salceda recommended that the government complete distributing the fuel subsidies to 158,730 farmers and fisherfolk rolled out in March 2022.
Salceda also recommended operationalizing the clause in the 2022 General Appropriations Act which mandates that the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to craft sustainable livelihood packages for fisherfolk affected by fuel prices.
On arts and entertainment jobs, Salceda says “the most critical component, I think, will be tourism. Internal demand will be limited by disposable income. So, you need exogenous sources of demand. Foreign tourism will be critical in that regard.”
On construction jobs, Salceda said that he expects the sector to recover when government ramps up spending on infrastructure during the early months of 2023.