LGUs urged: Make PESO functional

CEBU, Philippines - The Regional Development Council in Central Visayas is pushing local government units to institutionalize the Public Employment Service Offices in their respective locality.

The RDC-7, in its last full council meeting, approved the report of its Economic Development Committee (EDC) upon the recommendation of the Department of Labor and Employment to enjoin the LGUs to institutionalize the PESOs.

In its previous meeting, RDC-7 chairman and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama raised the issue on how to address unemployment and underemployment problem in the region.

Rama instructed the EDC to discuss the matter to determine the area/sectors where underemployment is most severe, assess if there is enough work force to service those areas promoted for increased investments and identify what need to be done especially by the academic sector to address the situation.

In response, the DOLE-7 presented to EDC the findings from its “Project JobsFit” which identified the skills in demand for 2011 to 2020 in the country, the gaps of currently available and projected in-demand skills and the recommended strategies to address the gaps.

The regional consultations on demand-supply gaps and challenges showed that these gaps are in the area of worker quantity, worker quality/skills, and worker conditions.

The gaps are notable in agribusiness; hotel and restaurant industry; medical services; construction; mining; cyber services and business process outsourcing.

Recommendations showed the importance of education and training, and the need to improve labor market dissemination.

“The recommended strategies on education and training and labor market information to address the gaps and challenges are myriad, and need an oversight mechanism to implement at both the regional and local level,” the RDC resolution reads.

DOLE-7 noted that if all the LGUs in the region would institutionalize the PESOs, this would strengthen the agency’s efforts to implement the recommendations to close the gaps in worker quantity, quality and conditions.

There are 135 LGU PESOs established in the region but DOLE reported only three in Cebu and one in Bohol being institutionalized with permanent staff and regular budget for operation. (FREEMAN)