President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday stressed the critical need for Filipino workers to upskill and retrain immediately to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global workforce.
Speaking at the Job Fair + Skills e-Hub in SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City, the President said, “The global workforce is changing very, very quickly—but I believe the Filipino will keep pace, even lead, when given the right support and the right opportunities.”
He emphasized that technological advancements are creating new job opportunities that require entirely different competencies. The President urged job seekers to “make the most of this moment. Equip yourselves with new skills, be open to new ways of doing things.”
He also called on entrepreneurs and employers to ensure continuous training for their staff. Marcos guaranteed labor stakeholders that his administration would “continue to create a fair, transparent, and enabling business environment.”
Marcos’s statement follows the release of data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, which showed that the country’s unemployment rate rose to 5 percent in October from 3.8 percent in September, while underemployment climbed to 12 percent from 11.1 percent during the same period.
The PSA attributed the increases partly to a larger workforce not yet absorbed by employers and a decline in hiring in the construction sector.
The nationwide job fair initiative, of which the Pasay event is a part, has so far resulted in the hiring of at least 200,000 Filipinos on the spot, according to the Chief Executive.