Reskilling job market needed for digital boost

MANILA, Philippines — The government needs to reskill the country’s labor force toward a more tech-savvy job market to take advantage of digital platforms amid the pandemic.

In its latest policy note, state-run think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) urged the government to pursue policies to retool the work force and strengthen their digital skills.

In the labor market, digital platforms provided an income source for many people after they were forced to stay at home last year.

PIDS senior research fellow Aubrey Tabuga and research analyst Carlos Cabaero said digital platforms also improved the economic participation and empowerment of vulnerable sectors, such as women and homemakers.

“However, these platforms cannot be harnessed effectively to address inequalities without a facilitative policy environment to narrow the digital divide. A key challenge is to ensure that these digital platforms also promote online workers’ access,” they said.

“The government needs to assess the level of digital skills across the population regularly. It must invest in the reskilling of older and less educated individuals on the practical applications of ICT (information and communication technology).”

PIDS emphasized that it is important to look into the gaps in digital skills between women and men from urban and rural areas, and how these skills may be harnessed fully.

PIDS studies showed that women are at par with, and in some aspects, even outperform men in ICT platform use. More women also use cellphones, conduct business transactions online, and own accounts for buying and selling goods and services online.

However, men earn an average of P10,898 monthly from online selling, while women only net P6,041 as the latter tend to be homemakers and have less time for online businesses.

Tabuga and Cabaero said online work offers economic opportunities for women who often have lower labor force participation rates than men.

“Current and future capacity development programs must focus on enhancing women and men’s life and work skills. However, gaining the proper digital skills may not be enough for women whose economic empowerment is likely not maximized because of their disproportionate share in unpaid care work,” they said.

Aside from gender issues, PIDS noted that poverty, skills gap, and lack of access to technology, formal institutions, and infrastructure, limit a person’s ability to take advantage of online platforms.

The PIDS fellows argued that digital platforms should promote social welfare, including access to social protection programs and livelihood opportunities.

“Improving digital infrastructure, such as mobile internet connection across the country, is vital to allow greater ICT engagement among Filipinos – women and men alike – so that everyone is better equipped to benefit from the digital dividends,” they said.