Creating more jobs

The region’s employment situation shows improvements. The unemployment rate went down from 5.3% in July 2006, to 4.7% in July 2007.

In terms of number of persons unemployed this went down from 94,000 in 2006 to 80,000 in 2007.
           
This trend indicates that our greatest job generator – agriculture, was able to provide jobs to more people.
           
This would also indicate an improved capability of job-seekers to find employment. (Note: the employment figures do not refer only to unemployment in offices).
           
However, still some 80,000 persons were unemployed. This is still a cause for concern.
           
How can our economy create more jobs?
           
Jobs are the result of investments as well as the presence of skills needed in those investments so that a matching of demand and supply takes place.
           
It is good to think of high paying jobs in large factories in emerging industries, but the reality is that there are more jobs that can be created in agriculture, particularly in agri-business.
            In the on-going Leyte Business Month we can look at the events from the viewpoint of generating employment.
           
This means that for tourism, agri-business and Information and Communications Technology investments to really help this region, they should generate a substantial number of jobs.
           
This is obvious from the number of unemployed person mentioned above. If say only 10,000 jobs are created this will only be 12.5% of the total number of unemployed.
           
How do we create more jobs or, better still, enough jobs to substantially reduce unemployment?

It will take a combination of strategies to achieve this and, certainly a lot of time. We can start by creating an environment that will bring in more investments both in urban and rural areas.