Last August 29, 2019, ECOP President Mr. Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. represented the private sector at the Capability Building on Innovative Leadership for Legislative Staff Lecture 1 with the theme “The Future of Work on FIRe: Implications of Industry 4.0 on Philippine Labor Force” at the House of Representatives, Batasang Pambansa, Quezon City.
Mr. Ortiz-Luis was part of the panel discussion on the multi-stakeholder approach in preparing the Philippine labor force for the Industry 4.0. Representing the government were Director Ma. Lourdes Yaptinchay of the Department of Trade and Industry – Bureau of Trade and Industrial Policy Research (DTI-BTIPR) and Director Dominique Tutay of the Department of Labor and Employment – Bureau of Local Employment (DOLE-BLE).
Mr. Ortiz-Luis, discussed the overview of the Philippine labor market and economy, the youth unemployment problem, and the academe-industry gap. He also noted key areas for social dialogue in the advent of the 4th industrial revolution which includes the (1) social security net, (2) wages, (3) outsourcing & contracting, (4) occupational safety and health, (5) migration, and (6) skills development.
Mr. Ortiz-Luis also said that ECOP encourages employers to invest in staff development and take it upon themselves to upskill and/or reskill their employees. In an effort to contribute to this end, the ECOP has started to expand its roster of training programs to include essential soft skills such as effective customer engagement, project management, emotional intelligence, and work ethics, among others.
