DOLE: Minimum wage hike in regions outside NCR likely within 2024

MANILA: Workers in regions outside Metro Manila may expect a raise in their daily take-home pay within the year. This, as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday revealed the schedules of consultations for regions about to release adjustments on their wage rates. Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said the development was in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPB) during the 22nd Labor Day celebration last May 1 to review the minimum wage rates in their respective regions. 'Sa madaling salita, lahat ng Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards sa loob ng taon na ito ay magkakaroon na ng karampatang action doon sa adjustment ng umiirial na minimum wage levels sa kani-kanilang rehiyon (In short, all the RTWPBs will have appropriate actions on the adjustments being implemented in their respective regions within the year),' Laguesma said in an episode of Malacañang Insider. In July, the RTWPB-Nati onal Capital Region approved a PHP35 hike in the daily minimum wage of workers, increasing the daily minimum wage rate from PHP610 to PHP645. The Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Central Visayas, and Soccsksargen regions have started calling for the wage adjustment in August, according to Laguesma. Meanwhile, the RTWPBs of Calabarzon, Ilocos Region, Western Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula are expected to start their consultations this month. The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Mimaropa, Bicol Region, and Eastern Visayas are likely to commence the consultation in October while the RTWPBs of Northern Mindanao and Caraga are set to have consultations in November, Laguesma said. Consultations and dialogues among DOLE's stakeholders are important to keep the agency informed on the issues and concerns faced by the labor sector. They also ensure that DOLE delivers its services efficiently. Boosting youth's employability In the same interview, the Labor chief said the government, through the Cabinet Clus ter for Education, is doubling down on improving the employability of Filipino youth. Among the programs of the government are the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES), Government Internship Program, and JobStart. Laguesma said the President has directed DOLE, Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to enhance th Senior High School curricula. Source: Philippines News agency