The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) is a staunch advocate of and partner in promoting and creating decent jobs for all. The creation of decent jobs will guarantee sustainable employment opportunities as well as income security to many people especially those greatly affected by the pandemic. It will also help the economy in moving forward as we now try to live with the virus. Another important aspect in making sure that we are on the right track to recovery is protecting and preserving employment to ease workers of their current economic burdens.During the recent JobStart Summit organized by the Department of Labor and Employment – Bureau of Local Employment (DOLE-BLE), we pledged support to the implementation of the JobStart Philippines. JobStart is a program of the DOLE preparing young Filipinos for employment. JobStart does this by providing the youth with career coaching, life skills and technical trainings, and internships with employers.ECOP has a similar program entitled “Jobs2022”, which is being implemented with select industry associations and government partners from the National Economic Recovery Strategy (NERS) Task Force. The Jobs2022 is a continuation of the One Million Jobs for 2021 Project, where we pledged to proactively create, recover, save, and transform jobs. We believe that the end goal of the Jobs2022 Project is similar to that of the JobStart Program, both aiming to upgrade the capacity of the Filipino workforce and provide decent employment for all. The Jobs2022 can also be a platform for the JobStart collaboration between government and employers. It should also be emphasized that education and skills development are very important in this day and age. With the accelerated transition to the new economy and creation of new jobs where technology fuels growth and innovation, there is a need to find ways to make sure that our workforce does not suffer from job loss due to automation.We believe that through strong partnerships, we will be able to make things happen. Through the many years of our collaboration with government, local, and international partners, ECOP has been able to help in shaping the business environment in various ways. ECOP will remain steadfast in working with other agents of positive change in pushing the common agenda of improving the lives of our people and building a competitive nation within the current and the incoming administration.
