Declaration of Policy
- The State commits to protect all workers, both local and overseas, organized or unorganized.
- It promotes full, productive, and freely chosen employment and livelihood opportunities.
- The policy ensures equitable employment opportunities regardless of sex, race, color, religion, political opinion, ethnicity, or social origin.
- Aims for poverty reduction through decent jobs, sustainable enterprises, and economic transformation.
- Promotes an environment encouraging more employment and entrepreneurship, supporting especially micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
- Focuses on improving Filipino workers' employability, productivity, and competitiveness.
- Establishes the "Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan" as the national employment master plan.
- Objectives include stimulating economic growth, promoting worker skills and wellness, supporting businesses including MSMEs, and incentivizing employer participation in workforce training.
Coverage
- Applies to all national, regional, and local government units (LGUs).
- The Bangsamoro Government and its LGUs may adopt and implement consistent projects and programs.
Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan: Structure and Components
- Envisions a timeline of 3, 6, and 10 years for employment generation and recovery goals.
- Includes:
- Support for MSMEs and cooperatives in financing, transitioning to formality, business continuity, and growth.
- Skilling, upskilling, and reskilling workers to improve competitiveness and employability.
- Incentives for employers offering training and skills transfer programs like apprenticeships and on-the-job training.
- Empowerment of workers regarding rights and obligations under labor laws and the Constitution.
- Identification of priority sectors to encourage investments and labor interventions.
- Expansion of active labor market policies and reintegration programs for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
- Promotion of tripartism and social dialogue among workers, employers, and government.
- Addressing youth unemployment, including challenges of NEET (not in education, employment, or training) youth.
- Standards and guidelines for apprenticeship and enterprise-based education programs.
- Establishment of grievance redress mechanisms for accountability.
- Support for workers in new work arrangements, including gig and freelance work.
- Plans facilitating transition from informal to formal economy through registration, financial literacy, and social protection enrollment.
- Adoption of ethical recruitment standards to protect migrant workers' rights.
- Promotion of digital infrastructure access to overcome the digital divide.
- Support for comprehensive reintegration programs for documented and undocumented OFWs.
Trabaho Para Sa Bayan Inter-Agency Council (TPB-IAC)
- Composed of:
- Chair: Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
- Co-Chairs: Secretaries of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
- Members: Officials from TESDA, DBM, DOF, DILG, employer and labor representatives, marginalized/vulnerable sectors, and the informal sector.
- The council meets quarterly or as needed.
- Chairpersons and members may designate authorized representatives.
- Secretariat composed of personnel from NEDA, DTI, and DOLE for administrative and technical support.
- Can engage other stakeholders and agencies as needed.
Powers and Functions of TPB-IAC
- Formulate, monitor, review, and update the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan.
- Analyze employment and labor market trends domestically and globally.
- Review and streamline policies, programs, and councils for alignment and resource efficiency.
- Assist LGUs in formulating employment plans aligned with the national plan.
- Provide guidelines for institutionalizing the plan across government agencies.
- Perform other functions related to plan implementation.
Establishment of TPB-IAC Working Groups
- The council may establish working groups focusing on specific industries or thematic areas.
- Working groups may address sectors like health, construction, tourism, agriculture, IT-BPM, manufacturing, etc.
- Government agencies chair these groups, with industry sector representation included.
Government Job Provision Improvements
- CSC, COA, and DBM will analyze and review government hiring policies.
- Focus on streamlining recruitment, identifying necessary skills, and matching manpower needs.
Roles and Cooperation of Government Agencies
- All government agencies and LGUs must coordinate with TPB-IAC to align policies and programs.
- Agencies must provide requested data to TPB-IAC to support the law’s objectives.
Reporting Requirements
- TPB-IAC shall submit biannual reports every January and July to the Office of the President and Congress.
- Reports include implementation status, evaluation of policies and programs, policy recommendations, and relevant information.
- Reports will be publicly accessible via government websites.
Implementing Rules and Regulations
- To be jointly formulated within 180 days from the law’s effectivity by TPB-IAC with concerned agencies and stakeholders.
Appropriations
- Initial funding will come from current appropriations of concerned departments.
- Subsequent funding will be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
Separability Clause
- Declared unconstitutional or invalid provisions shall not affect the remaining valid provisions.
Repealing Clause
- Any inconsistent laws, rules, and regulations are repealed or modified accordingly.
Effectivity
- The Act takes effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or two newspapers of general circulation.