Cabinet Secretary and Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-IED) Co-Chair Karlo Nograles said on Friday that job and employment prospects remain positive even during the COVID-19 pandemic “because some businesses are resilient, remain extremely relevant and are in fact booming despite the prevailing global health crisis.”
“We all need to be persistent and creative. Know what and where to look for employment-wise in these challenging times. No one is immune from the fallout brought by COVID-19. Everyone in both the public and private sector is affected, and our government is doing its best to provide social and economic safety nets,” the Cabinet Secretary stressed.
“No one is immune from the fallout brought by COVID-19.”
In an online speech delivered during the first segment of the Pre-employment Preparation Webinar series conducted by the Far Eastern University Career and Placement Office, Nograles told FEU graduating students several businesses are actually booming and have the potential of taking advantage of the challenges posed by the current situation.
A number of these promising fields belong to the health and medical sectors, online retail and deliveries as well as various online services, among many others.
“May uncertainties lalo na sa ating mga kabataan, pero malaki at marami ring prospects. Expected na may ilang mababahala. Let’s remain optimistic and think there are many opportunities out there,” Nograles said.
Nograles said that during this period when people are taking all measures to avoid physical contact with others, business could be challenging for the the service sector, for instance, but sectors like logistics, medicine, and health care and even online retail remain stable and in fact, expect steady growth.
Because of this, Nograles further advised the young online audience that “now is the best time for you, graduating students and new graduates, to prepare and to re-think your ‘gameplan’ on how to adapt with the demands of the ‘new normal’ due to the COVID pandemic.”
“Let’s remain optimistic and think there are many opportunities out there.”
The IATF-IED Co-Chair emphasized that during the pandemic, new job applicants must be able to properly utilize and take advantage of new Web-based technologies in finding employment.
Government is expecting increased demand for professionals who are skilled in information technology, health care, education, logistics and personal assistance services although there will be a dip in the transport sector and manual labor requirements because of mandated social distancing and improving automation in many manufacturing businesses.
Nograles also urged students to do volunteer work while searching for regular employment as a means of developing individual skills and expanding their network which could help secure employment and other livelihood opportunities in the future.
The Malacañang official observed that until a COVID-19 vaccine is found, social distancing and other hygiene protocols laid down by the IAFT-EID would be strictly enforced regardless of the level quarantine currently in effect.
At present, the IATF-EID is fully performing its mandate of setting policies that help citizens cope with the challenges posed by the contagion.
The Task Force is pushing for expedited delivery of social services to the most vulnerable groups in the population through the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) ID cards linked to digital payment systems.
Through PhilSys, the government will have a more reliable registry of vulnerable persons from all databases, resulting in the automatic and universal release of aid during national emergencies without the need for applications.
Nograles explained that even the education sector needs to adapt to the “new normal” through the institutionalization of so-called blended or online learning, flexible learning options such as open high schools, alternative delivery modes and satellites for off-grid areas.
“We’re keeping up with the everyday challenges of COVID-19 and we’re slowly easing in systems that would benefit every Filipino — young and old, student, worker, homemaker, entrepreneurs. Let’s all be positive and supportive. We’re all in this fight together.”