Women work at a sweatshop sewing clothes under contract with local clothing manufacturers in Manila on July 12, 2013. —Photo from Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday highlighted the government’s “heavier and stronger” support in reducing the country’s unemployment rate.

In his speech during the two-day Career Con 2025 of Jobstreet by SEEK PH and the Department of Labor and Employment, Marcos said they are working on not just employing Filipinos but on ways to get them hired in “quality jobs.”

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“The government’s support is now heavier and stronger so that you have better opportunities to secure good jobs,” Marcos said in Filipino.

“The number of unemployed Filipinos is steadily decreasing, but our work is not yet done.” he went on.

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“It is essential that whatever jobs they hold are quality jobs — with opportunities for promotion, better career growth, or even the possibility of starting their own businesses, which we support and will continue to help expand, especially for those just starting out,” he added.

The DA intends to run the TRO as “a specialized and dedicated office” to comply with the legal and administrative requirements and enhance its capacity to address trade remedy matters.

In a commentary, Japanese investment bank Nomura said the Philippines and India are the least exposed to China growth—which can get a boost from Chinese authorities’ recent policy blitz—due to the two nations’ “weak trade and investment linkages” with Beijing.

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He also stressed the importance of the partnership of the public and private sectors in the labor industry.

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The president further noted that upskilling, or learning new skills to stay relevant in the evolving job market, is one thing job seekers must consider doing.

“That’s why Tesda [Technical Education and Skills Development Authority] is here. Tesda will step in and provide free training to help applicants qualify for the jobs they are seeking,” Marcos said.

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READ: PSA: PH unemployment eased in November 2024 to 3.2%

READ: IMF sees 36% of PH jobs eased or displaced by AI

Based on a report by the Philippine Statistics Authority in January 2025, the unemployment rate dropped in November as holiday job opportunities outweighed disruptions from last year’s storms.

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A nationwide survey conducted among more than 11,000 households showed there were 1.6 million individuals who were either unemployed or out of business in November.

This figure is lower than the 1.9 million unemployed in October.wjevo

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