GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 15 Oct) – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-Region 12 has intensified the rollout of its Skills Registry System (SRS) in all 1,194 barangays in the region in a bid to provide residents with greater access to various employment opportunities and other related government programs.
Jimelito Marquez, DOLE 12’s Technical Support Services Division head, said the initiative is part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to address the region’s employment concerns, among them the rising underemployment and the mismatch of available manpower with the requirements of local industries.
“Mainstreaming the SRS at the barangay level will increase the level of opportunities for our jobseekers,” Marquez said in a press conference.
The official said they are currently conducting orientations on SRS implementation and the enlistment of job seekers in various barangays in the region.
Region 12 covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Cotabato, Kidapawan and Tacurong.
SRS, which is a key component of DOLE’s generation program, is a repository of manpower information that is used by the agency in circulating job opportunities within a specific area or locality when demands arise and become available.
A DOLE briefer said the registry features a roster of active manpower supply that shows information on the qualifications and skills of registrants that were either acquired in school or gained through experience.
The skills registry may be readily accessed by employers through the Phil-Jobnet website, which serves as the government’s main job portal.
Marquez said DOLE 12 had adopted the cascading of the SRS down to the barangay level as among the key strategies of its mandate to provide decent work to residents of the region.
He said decent work, according to the United Nations and the International Labor Organization, is the availability of employment in conditions of freedom, equity, human security and dignity.
DOLE’s strategy towards providing decent work also includes the promotion of right at work, social protection and social dialogue for workers, he said.
The implementation of such strategies is presently the highlight of the region’s ongoing celebration of the 23rd National Statistics Month. (Allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews)