ONLY four out of 10 local government units (LGUs) have established their respective Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs), according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
In a statement for the 23rd National PESO Congress, DOLE reported that only 40 percent of LGUs in the country have their PESOs as mandated by the PESO Law of 2015.
“To date, 643 PESOs are now institutionalized out of the 1,592 LGUs in the country,” said DOLE.
Under the PESO Law, all provinces, cities, and municipalities must have their own PESO, which shall be operated and maintained by the LGUs.
Given the continued need for more PESOs to be institutionalized, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma called on all local governments to establish their own employment services.
He said this is because the responsibility of realizing the objectives of the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan and the Trabaho para sa Bayan Act is not solely DOLE’s responsibility.
“It is jointly shared with our social partners, especially our PESOs,” he said.
“The challenges we face in our employment landscape demand collective action and innovative solutions,” added Laguesma.
PESOs are mandated to encourage employers to submit to the PESO on a regular basis a list of job vacancies in their respective establishments to facilitate the exchange of labor market information between job seekers and employers by providing employment information services to job seekers.
PESOs are also tasked to undertake employability enhancement trainings or seminars for job seekers, as well as provide employment or occupational counseling and career guidance.
