SEN. Joel Villanueva on Friday called for the immediate implementation of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan (TPB) initiative, citing rising unemployment in the country.
Villanueva, head of the Senate Labor Committee, noted that unemployment climbed to 4.9 percent in June 2026, equivalent to 2.59 million jobless Filipinos, according to the latest Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) report.
The latest figure marked a significant increase from the 3.7 percent unemployment rate, or 1.95 million unemployed, recorded in June 2025.
“The latest PSA figures remind us that the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan must be implemented with greater urgency,” Villanueva said.
The senator said the TPB Act — of which he was the principal author and sponsor — mandates the establishment of a comprehensive national strategy for job creation to ensure that Filipinos have access to stable, decent, and quality employment.
Villanueva expressed concern over the substantial job losses in sectors that employ millions of workers. Based on PSA data, wholesale and retail trade lost an estimated 903,000 jobs year-on-year, while fisheries and aquaculture shed about 467,000 jobs.
Although agriculture and forestry registered employment gains during the month, Villanueva noted that the sector remains highly vulnerable to typhoons and other weather-related disruptions that can quickly reverse employment gains.
He raised concern over the decline in youth employment, with the employment rate among young Filipinos dropping to 86.5 percent from 90.6 percent a year earlier despite more young people entering the labor force.
“These numbers represent families struggling to make ends meet, graduates searching for their first opportunity, and workers uncertain about where their next paycheck will come from,” he said.
