President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. backed the proposal to create a Private Sector Jobs and Skills Corp. (PSJSC) to address jobs and skills mismatch and create more job opportunities in the country, Malacañang announced on Thursday, May 18.

In a press statement, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Marcos welcomed the plan during his meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council-Job Sector Group (PSAC-JSG).

“Well, if it’s private sector-led, then the data gathering function will actually be almost automatic because it’s the private sector that will say ‘these are the things we need’,” the President said as quoted by the PCO.

It said that Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual seconded the proposal.

The PSJSC will be entrusted to create a “well-coordinated” movement to break the jobs and skills mismatch.

"The President directed the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to coordinate with the PSAC-JSG to set the system on how to increase collaboration to reduce the jobs and skills mismatch problem in the priority sectors," PCO said.

Apart from the creation of the body, the PSAC-JSG also proposed to the President the establishment of a motorcycle micro business program, and it declared its willingness to address the shortage of nurses in the country.

“The PSAC-JSG also envisioned creating two million jobs for ‘habal-habal’ riders to provide transportation services with the highest safety standards,” PCO added.

Written by: Ailah Francisco, DZRH News Online Intern