The Marcos administration is committed to enhancing the Filipino workers’ skills and wooing more investors to improve employment, Malacañang said Thursday.

This, as Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro expressed elation over the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) latest report showing that the labor force participation rate in January 2025 translates to a total of 20.65 million Filipinos, higher than the 48.06 million logged in January 2024 and 50.12 million recorded in October 2024.

“Ano nga ba ang ginagawa ng gobyerno? Una, mas pinalakas ang skills training sa TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) para mas handa ang manggagawa sa (What is the government doing? First, skills training at TESDA has been strengthened so that workers are better prepared for) high growth industries,” Castro said in a Palace press briefing.

“Sunod, dahil sa CREATE MORE Act, mas maraming negosyante ang namumuhunan sa Pilipinas para mag-generate ng mas maraming trabaho, at maraming oportunidad sa IT-BPM (Information Technology and Business Process Management) sector sa pamamagitan ng reskilling at upscaling para makasabay sa bagong teknolohiya (Next, because of the CREATE MORE Act, more entrepreneurs are investing in the Philippines to generate more jobs, and more opportunities in the IT-BPM sector through reskilling and upscaling to keep up with new technology),” she added.

CREATE MORE stands for Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises – Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy.

Castro stressed that because of the government’s efforts, more job opportunities and higher quality of employment will be provided to Filipinos.

She also expressed confidence that more entrepreneurs will invest in the country, adding that they are vital in strengthening the Philippine economy.

She also assured the public that the government is implementing better programs regarding employment generation for more Filipinos.

“Kailangan po talaga natin magkaroon ng maraming (we really need many) investors. Bakit (Why)? It will generate income. It will allow Filipinos to be employed. So, ‘yun po in general ang masasabi natin. Talaga pong pinagbubuti natin (So, that’s what we can say in general. We are really improving),” Castro said.

Castro said the opening of 2,280 jobs from 30 investors from various industries in Clark, Pampanga would also help in improving the country’s employment rate.

The PSA also reported that youth labor force participation rose to 31.8 percent in January 2025, up from 29.7 percent a year earlier, reflecting stronger engagement among young Filipinos in the labor market. (PNA)