The foreign visits of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have created over 200,000 jobs for Filipinos, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma announced Monday, Feb. 10.
Laguesma said that sectors like power, renewable energy, and electronics manufacturing led initial job creation.
He noted that 201 investment-led projects worth US$76 billion (₱4 trillion) resulted from Marcos Jr.’s trips abroad since taking office.
“Nagtutuloy-tuloy po, hindi lamang siguro masasabi natin na instant, nandidiyan na dahil nga may proseso na dinadaan,” the secretary said. “Pero given the instruction na follow-through these commitments, we will be able to know what actually would make them really put in the promised investment para makalikha ng karagdagang trabaho,” he added.
In January, DOLE and JobStreet hosted a job fair attended by 18,000 job seekers, including fresh graduates and professionals.
According to the National Economic and Development Authority, the Philippine labor market remained stable in 2024, with improved job quality.
The Philippine Statistics Authority reported a 3.1% unemployment rate in December 2024, unchanged from the previous year.
In December 2023, underemployment dropped from 11.9% to 10.9%, signaling fewer workers seeking extra jobs.
However, labor force participation declined from 66.6% to 65.1%, with youth participation falling from 34.5% to 31.9% due to schooling and training. Female workforce participation also dipped from 56.3% to 54.7%, as more women cited household duties as a barrier to employment.IMT
