THE chair of the House labor and employment committee on Monday reiterated the need for government to provide workers with training opportunities to ensure that they can be hired amid an ever-evolving employment landscape.
“As early as now we need to create a platform that would provide our workers easier access to upskill and reskill to prop their chances at employability, otherwise we may see increased unemployment and underemployment in the future,” Rizal 4th District Rep. Fidel Nograles said.
Nograles’ statement came on the heels of the Future of Jobs Report 2025 by the World Economic Forum, which revealed that 68 percent of Filipino workers, surpassing the global average of 59 percent, are expected to need training to meet evolving skill demands.
The report noted that only 38 percent have completed their training to date, as compared with the 50-percent global average.
Nograles warned that failure to update the Filipino workforce’s skill set could lead to job displacement and redundancy.
“May panganib din na matigil ang pag-arangkada ng iba’t ibang industriya kung hindi mapupunan ang staffing requirement ng mga ito,” the lawmaker added.
Nograles also said that if the lack of employable workers due to a skills gap could force the closure of businesses.
The solon underlined the urgency of providing training to the workforce amid advances in artificial intelligence and climate change.
“This isn’t even future-proofing, as we are now amid the shift towards more AI, and climate change is posing challenges to many sectors, particularly agriculture. So we really have to act now,” said Nograles.
Meanwhile, Nograles also assured his constituents in the 4th District that even now he is exploring talks with stakeholders to provide training opportunities.
“Syempre, hindi naman po tayo papayag na mapag-iwanan ang Montalban kaya sa ngayon pa lang, pinaplano na natin kung paano makapagbibigay ng training sa pakikipagtulungan ng pamahalaan at ng mga learning institutions,” Nograles said.
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