The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) gladly announced that the efforts of the government to sustain the resiliency of the economy together with the continued demand for the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and election activities are expected to buck joblessness and pave for a brighter employment situation for 2010.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque is very positive that opportunities for OFWs will also arise as the world economy recovers in developed countries which hire foreign workers.

“As world economies recover in 2010, the demand for OFWs will be sustained in traditional markets like the Middle East, Guam, and Hong Kong and in emerging markets as well such as Canada, Australia, Korea, Macau, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Caribbean Islands, Slovenia, and Croatia. He added that the demand for Filipino seafarers overseas will also be sustained,” Roque added.

The positive forecast of DOLE was due to the effective dissemination of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Economic Resiliency Program (ERP) which was launched to cope with the economic recession that affects the local and overseas employment for the Filipinos.

Under the ERP, it has created public infrastructure projects which hire unemployed and underemployed workers, implementation of emergency employment and livelihood programs that provided new jobs and livelihood sources for vulnerable sectors.

Labor secretary Marianito Roque said that employment is seen to be better for Filipino jobseekers for 2010.

“Employment picture in the country in 2010 is seen to be better than this year as the government has already set in place measures to sustain the economic resiliency program (ERP) to enable the country take advantage of the projected global economic rebound in 2010,” Roque said.

Roque said the government is bracing itself to boost and strengthen the resiliency program via the implementation of the reloading economic acceleration program (REAP) or the "new ERP for 2010 and beyond."

He said the new resiliency program will prepare the country for the projected global upturn in 2010 by focusing on investments in new industries such as renewable energy, the green industries, information and communications technology, and science, technology and innovation which in turn are expected to generate new jobs for the workers.

The DOLE Chief stressed that the prospects for better employment situation both for local and overseas will receive further boost from spending and activities for the national elections in 2010. These, he said, are seen to make a significant dent on unemployment.

However, workers in the manufacturing industries may suffer job loss for 2010 due to the poor recovery of the industry.

He said joblessness in this sector that may result from reduced exports would have minimal impact on the overall employment picture as employment in this sector constitutes only 8.3% of the total 35.5 million employed persons in the country in the July 2009 labor force survey of the National Statistics Office (NSO).

Nonetheless, the DOLE is prepared to assist workers in the manufacturing and other sectors who would be displaced, Roque said adding that DOLE quick reaction teams have been set up in the regions to help establishments prevent job losses or help workers who are about to be displaced find new employment or livelihood.