Saturday, December 09, 2006 Labor dep't sees more job opportunities next year
THE Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) in the Davao region is facing a major challenge in lowering the unemployment rate, the highest among the regions in Mindanao.
Dole regional director Ma. Gloria Tango issued this statement in a press conference in time for their 73rd anniversary held at the office of the Philippine Information Agency.
She said the region has 7.1 percent unemployment rate, 40 percent of whom are the unemployed youth. "That is why we need to do massive coordination through the conduct of jobs fair and other strategies that would motivate companies to create more jobs," she said.
Tango said activities like these are being conducted in coordination with the local government units.
Tango, however, said that with the business sector predicting that the year ahead is another good year for business, Dole is also optimistic that more jobs will be created next year.
She said with high investments poured in to the region in 2006 they are also positive of more investments especially in ICT.
Southern Mindanao region as of October 2006 has a labor force of about 1.826 million and of this figure about 1.6 million are working with about 130,000 unemployed.
Meanwhile, Tango said that the labor industry this year is generally good with no strike lodged with their office up to this time.
"We just hope that it would remain that way so for two consecutive years (2005-2006) we could make it again to the "zero strike" in the Davao region," she said.
Such scenario could be attributed to a more mature relationship between labor and management where both now are more open to communication because workers now learn to listen and become reasonable enough while management study the issue or complaints and determine what is doable between the two.
She also said that the developmental programs that cater to the employees and employers are geared towards labor management education.
By January 2007 the labor management education program will have a new module focusing on three concerns namely, human relations, labor relations and productivity.
Tango said this HLP module is being conceptualized and is being closely monitored by Labor Secretary Arturo D. Brion.
