Firms given more time to submit wages report

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has given commercial establishments nationwide until the end of May to submit the required annual report on wages.

In an advisory, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said employers must submit online the Annual Establishment Report on Wages (AERW) by May 31.

The DOLE issued the advisory amid calls from various labor groups for a significant wage increase.

Laguesma said all private establishments are required to register, log in and submit their reports as of Dec. 31, 2022 to the AERW online portal https://annualwagereport.nwpc.dole.gov.ph.

“The online portal shall remain open until 31 May 2023 to accommodate report submissions,” Laguesma noted.

Submission of the annual wage reports is provided under the Wage Rationalization Act. The report shall specify the names of rank-and-file employees, including learners, apprentices and workers with disabilities, who were hired under the terms prescribed in the employment contracts, and their corresponding salaries and wages.

According to the National Wages and Productivity Commission, the AERW serves as input on continuing efforts to improve the implementation of policies and guidelines on wages, incomes and productivity.

The commission noted that the submission of AERW, which started in 2021, is part of digitalization initiatives to ensure a more efficient collection of administrative data on wages.