Reducing Youth Not in Employment, Education, or Training through JobStart Philippines

Abstract

Key Points One in four young Filipinos are not in employment, education, or training. One in two young women with high school education or less are not in employment, education, or training. Creating wage jobs for the youth is critical to help reduce poverty and income inequality in the Philippines. Active labor market programs encourage employment creation and employability of workers, increase their earning capacity, and enhance integration into the productive workforce. In 2011, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) of the Philippines collaborated with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to design and develop JobStart Philippines, a pilot project assisting at-risk youth to become job-ready. JobStart Philippines is an employer-led program and offers at-risk youth life skills training, one-on-one career coaching, and opportunities for technical training and internships with private sector employers. Upon successful completion of the pilot, DOLE converted JobStart Philippines into a regular program and Congress enacted the Act to Institutionalize JobStart Philippines Program in 2016, which guarantees program sustainability.