THE world today is characterized by intense global competition and rapid technological change. According to a human capital theory, economic development is a function of the quality of a nation’s education system. In other words: the more and better educated the people, the better the chances of reaching economic development. The key to success is a well-educated, technically skilled workforce producing high-value-added, knowledge-intensive goods and services.
It is graduation season in the Philippines and up to 700,000 graduates are expected to join the nation’s labor market of 41 million.
However, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) warned that these fresh graduates would have difficulty finding immediate employment due to the job-skills mismatch crisis in the country.
“Out of the 4,239,392 domestic and international job vacancies offered in 3,686 year-round job fairs activities held in 2014 and 2015 nationwide, only 391,088 were hired on the spot out of the 1,286,073 applicants,” TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said. He added that the job-skills mismatch crisis in the country has been going on — and it continues to grow. Competition is escalating, so employers are putting additional qualifications in the job descriptions.
Tanjusay also said that heightened competitiveness in the job market — with little or no adjustment on the part of the learning institutions — makes job hunting in the country worse than ever.
According to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), out of every 1,000 job applicants, only 10 would likely be hired. The majority of the aspirants will not be able to penetrate the labor market and many will eventfully become part of the unemployed.
Those who will fall through the cracks will seek better employment opportunities abroad. It is estimated that more that around 4,000 Filipinos leave the country to work abroad every day.
The country has been internationally recognized for its diverse and talented human resources. The skills of Filipino workers continue to impress foreign employers, making more countries favor the quality of Filipino service. It is awe-inspiring that Filipino workers are in demand and valued by other countries. However, it is also alarming that their own country cannot grant them the same opportunity.
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are glorified as modern heroes, but back home, the reasons why they left remain harsh realities.
With the impressive showing of the current economy, the protection and promotion of economic rights of all Filipino workers should be given appropriate actions. The government must continue to generate decent employment opportunities that will entice OFWs to come back or local employees to stay. (AJPress)
