A labor underutilization phenomenon called the “educated jobless” reveals that the youth are facing the highest incidence of unemployment in the Philippines. This trend highlights the importance of effective public employment services (PES) to facilitate employment and ensure productive transitions into the labor market. Job placement offices (JPOs) are partners of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) under DOLE Department Order No. 157 series of 2016 in providing PES for students and industry. This study provides pioneering insights into the role of JPOs in PES and showcases their contributions in addressing labor underutilization, particularly for the welfare of the youth. The study localizes the International Labour Organization’s five-clustered PES diagnostic and scans JPO operations in terms of 1) governance and strategy, 2) organization and management, 3) labor market services, 4) partnerships, and 5) performance management. Results show that JPOs deliver essential PES such as career development support, career guidance, job matching, and referral through industry linkages, labor market information, curriculum development, and even livelihood support. Challenges to JPOs’ consistent PES provision include underfunding, inadequate staffing and facilities, limited student and employer visibility, absence of standardized operational frameworks, and lack of formal institutionalization.
The study proposes a JPO Strategic Action Plan that will create a clear and formalized mandate for JPOs within their respective institutions—allowing them to become employment hubs that are core to DOLE’s PES network stipulated in the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan 2023-2028.
Keywords: Job placement offices, public employment services, career development support, labor underutilization, skills mismatch
Author: Son, Athena Mari E.