Palace vows to generate more job opportunities for Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday assured that the Duterte administration will “continue creating” an environment that will generate more job opportunities for Filipinos, a day after a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that 7.9 million adult Filipinos said they are jobless.

“We commit to continue creating an environment conducive to growth that generates more high-quality jobs to the greatest number of Filipinos,” Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

The SWS noted that in its survey conducted on December 13 to 16 last year, the number of jobless adult Filipinos dropped from 21.5 percent or 10 million in September to 17.5 percent or 7.9 million in December 2019. Results of the survey were released on Tuesday.

READ: Jobless Filipinos decreased in fourth quarter of 2019 — SWS

Panelo welcomed this development.

According to Panelo, the Duterte administration recognizes the importance of the Philippine labor force and is utilizing human resources as “a means of improving the overall standard of living of Filipinos.”

“The President understands that attracting domestic and foreign investments through good governance and sound economic policies is key to a vibrant labor market and progressive economy,” he said.

The SWS defined jobless adults as those who “voluntarily left their old jobs, those who are seeking jobs for the first time or those who lost their jobs due to economic circumstances beyond their control.”