MORE than half of Filipino workers are using mostly general skills, according to a recent study of state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).
PIDS Senior Research Fellow Connie Bayudan-Dacuycuy and De La Salle University Professor Lawrence Dacuycuy found around 62 percent of the country’s working population have social and basic skills and lower analytical skills.
These are service, clerical, and support workers; service and sales workers; skilled agricultural, fishery and forestry workers; and workers in elementary occupations.
“This is worrisome given that developments in information and communications [ICT] have dramatically reshaped the world of work. Such developments have undeniably highlighted occupations that are geared towards more intensive use of ICT, data analytics, and high value-adding social skills,” the economists said.
To address these gaps, the authors recommended assessing the quality of jobs being created and ensuring that reskilling and upskilling programs are in place, as these can facilitate workers’ upward occupational mobility.
For example, while ICT developments have increased the need for high value-adding jobs, these have also opened opportunities for workers who have jobs with general skills, such as motorcycle drivers and taxi drivers for ride-hailing services.
“A national upskilling program is imperative to ensure that these workers can participate in other market opportunities in the future,” the study said.
Further, they stressed the importance of tertiary education in enhancing the readiness of the country’s future work force. They underscored the role of higher educational institutions in providing learning environments that develop cognitive and noncognitive skills, which can enhance general and specific skills needed in the workplace.
Technical-vocational education and training (TVET) programs can also be leveraged, particularly for those who want to shift their career paths but do not have the necessary skills and training needed for the job.
In doing so, there should be an adequate supply of qualified trainers who can serve sector-specific skill needs. According to the authors, TVETs can tap industry experts as trainers to increase their pool of competent ones.
“TVETs can craft training programs that are aligned [with] the needs of the industry, giving them the impetus to improve their facilities and resources accordingly,” the study said.
The study found that while ICT jobs remain in demand in sectors including hotel/restaurant/tourism, wholesale and retail trade, and health and wellness, other sought-after jobs and top employment generators, such as the IT-BPM and manufacturing sectors, are looking to fill in positions with more analytical skills.
They said these jobs include software quality assurance analysts and IT support staff. In agribusiness, there is a clear need for technical experts, managers, pathologists, biologists, engineers, and quality control technicians. Such occupations require highly specific skills.
The study also found that the percentage of workers with tertiary education is higher for jobs with high levels of specificity.
In terms of gender, the study showed that female workers engaged in jobs that require highly specific skills are better educated than male workers. However, a higher percentage of tertiary-educated female workers are still engaged in jobs requiring low skills.
