With the Filipino workforce at the center of the DOLE’s strategic goals to be gainfully employed, globally competitive, secure, safe and healthy, the Department prioritizes the delivery of the following services and implementation of their corresponding programs and projects:

1. Job Search Assistance Services for Wage Employment to increase the number of job seekers placed through various employment exchange facilities (i.e., Public Employment Service Office, Private Recruitment and Placement Agencies, Contractors and Sub-Contractors, Phil-Jobnet, Employment Kiosks) and career advocacy.

The Department also facilitates the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in partnership with the private sector and other stakeholders, in countries which guarantee protection through active participation in high-level/technical marketing missions.

Through the Department’s Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), intensive market intelligence work in collaboration with Philippine embassies, foreign embassies and the private sector in locating high value employment opportunities and at the same time identify new/emerging markets are being undertaken.

The Department is also actively participating in the forging of bilateral agreements that can offer new and decent jobs to OFWs; encouraging the visit of foreign governments and private employers’ delegations to the Philippines; and in strengthening linkages with the education, training and medical fitness sectors to generate the right quality and quantity of workers needed by the overseas labor markets.

Various employment facilitation programs and projects implemented are:

2. Capacity-building Services for Livelihood to assist disadvantage workers who opt to engage in self-employment of entrepreneurial undertakings as their source of income. Services include livelihood formation for disadvantaged unemployed workers in engaging in livelihood; informal sector workers in enhancing their existing livelihood; wage worker in engaging in income augmenting collective enterprises; and OFWs and their families in engaging in self-employment and in enhancing their existing livelihood.

3. Social Partnership Promotion and Dispute Resolution Services to preserve employment through the provision and implementation of measures and interventions that promote harmonious and cooperative worker-employer relations, collective bargaining and expeditious and fair resolutions of labor disputes, labor education, and social dialogues thereby avoiding and reducing job losses and work disruptions due to labor disputes.

4. Professional Regulation Services, Technical-Vocational Education, Skills Competency and Productivity Trainings to enhance the competencies and employability of the employed and unemployed/underemployed workers. This is made possible through the provision of short-term courses in various trades particularly in demand-driven and emerging skills in the labor market.

Specific to professional regulation, the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) regulates and supervises the practice of the professionals who constitute the highly skilled manpower of the country. Moreover, PRC delivers programs that promote and sustain a corps of world-class, technically proficient, and ethically competent Filipino professionals.

On the other hand, the TVET program undertakes competitiveness assessment of workers and graduates through skills testing and certification. It also provides basic, upgrading, refresher and other specialized maritime training courses to merchant marine officers, ratings, maritime cadets, and maritime faculty/trainers.

Meanwhile, the Productivity Program assists company owners, workers and supervisors, and the micro and small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through the provision of training and consultancy services on productivity improvement, and the installation of productivity improvement programs.

5. Services to Safeguard Fair and Just Terms and Conditions of Employment to protect workers’ rights at the local front by assisting large, medium and small business firms comply with general labor standards. This is made possible through three approaches, namely Self-Assessment, Inspection, and Technical Assistance Visits; and other regulatory services.

The service is also extended to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) through processing of workers’ employment contracts and verification of accreditation documents of OFWs’ prospective employers.

The DOLE, through the National Wages and Productivity Commission and its Regional Wages and Productivity Boards, review existing minimum wage levels and issue Wage Order and corresponding Implementing Rules and Regulations.

Finally, to ensure that private agencies comply with ethical recruitment standards and procedures, the DOLE regulates local employment, placement and related activities. This is done through licensing and other regulatory system.

6. Social Protection and Welfare Services to facilitate workers access and enrollment to social security (SSS, Philhealth), especially the informal sector workers and OFWs who are not usually covered by the social protection schemes of the government.

7. Work Accidents/Illnesses Prevention and Work Compensation and Rehabilitation Services to increase workers knowledge and skills on occupational safety and health (OSH) at the workplace through advocacy, enforcement and capacity-building to reduce the number of workers with work-related accidents, injuries and illnesses. The program also includes provision of compensation and rehabilitation services for occupationally-disabled workers.