Sigue: New normal calls for digital careers

Sigue: New normal calls for digital careers

THE services sector has consistently been the highest economic contributor in the country's economy because of a young and skilled workforce, such that Senator Sonny Angara believes this sector is still going to be the biggest hope of the Philippines in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and digital careers sectors are overjoyed with this development. I am fervently hoping Congress will soon pass this bill.

Dubbed as the new normal, the workplace that awaits Filipinos after the quarantine period need to strictly observe physical distancing, strict hygiene and sanitation, and best health and safety practices.

One sure way to avoid transmission is for a significant number of our workforce to serve industries that are digital or have migrated to digital ecosystems.

Last week, Angara filed a bill in support of the development of digital careers in the Philippines.

Senate Bill 1469 fully recognizes the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to employment and nature of jobs and the importance of developing a knowledge-based economy that requires a national workforce or talent supply equipped with 21st century skills. Angara stressed the need for skill sets and competencies that are aligned with ICT and other disruptive technologies that shape the global markets across all industries.

The Digital Careers Bill aims to create a significant supply of Filipinos with skills aligned with global standards on a regular and continuing basis in order to make our workforce for online careers and opportunities and ensure the right to a decent job of every citizen as enabled by the Internet.

These jobs shall include freelancing, virtual work, home-based digital activities and the like.

The bill provides for various mechanisms in skilling, upskilling and re-skilling the Filipino workforce to support the impact of digital transformation across all industries and through the world and seeks to create standards and programs for the development of digital careers.

Some of the major digital careers envisioned are web development and designing, teaching and tutoring, freelance writing and copywriting, creative design, sales and marketing, graphic designing, mobile app development, search engine optimization, branding and public relations, administrative support or assistance, 3D modelling and CAD, game development, translation, web research, transcription, article and blog writing, customer service, social media coordinator and community management, logo design and illustration, audio and video production, data entry jobs, human resource management and architecture services.

Under the bill, various agencies are expected to work together such as the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (Ched), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The bill seeks to set an annual digital careers week aimed at creating and promoting awareness about digital careers and skills as well as developing a strong collaboration between the public, private and educational sector to address various concerns.

The bill also foresees the establishment of digital libraries and learning hubs to serve as venues in improving digital inclusion and provide digital access, training and support for digital career workers, freelancers, and freelance workers. The bill also sets the stage for co-working facilities for independent contractors working as freelancers or digital career workers.

Some of the common lucrative digital jobs in the market today are Web development and designing, Online teaching and tutoring, Content creation such as writing, copywriting and others, Digital marketing - e-Commerce, sales and marketing, Creative design, graphic designing, 3D modelling and CAD, game development, logo design and illustration, and audio and video production, Mobile app development, Search engine optimization, Virtual assistance - administrative support or assistance, Branding and public relations, social media coordinator and community management, Web research, business intelligence and data analytics, transcription and data entry jobs article and blog writing, Customer service and technical support, Human resource management and systems, Architecture services and other professional services through the Internet.

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