ILO: 800,000 workers affected by 'Ruby'

MANILA – An estimated 800,000 workers have been affected by Typhoon Ruby, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).

ILO said the affected workers, nearly half of whom were in vulnerable employment, living in poverty and accepting whatever work is available, came from Eastern, Central and Western Visayas, Caraga, Bicol, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Metro Manila.

Eastern Visayas took the biggest hit with over 350,000 workers or about 20 percent of the total employed in the region affected by the typhoon. Of these, more than half were in vulnerable forms of employment.

The ILO is working closely with government, employers’ and workers’ organizations and the Humanitarian Country Team to ensure that decent work and livelihood is prioritized.

“We’re not only putting much-needed cash into these areas, but also helping affected workers to develop new skills, to earn a decent wage and access better working conditions including social protection coverage. These are not just labor rights but also basic human rights, which we need to take into account in times of crisis and disaster,” said Lawrence Jeff Johnson, director of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines.

The ILO has also implemented an emergency employment program to provide workers the chance to earn an income for their family and to receive much needed goods and services.

“This injection of cash into the local economy and the purchase of local goods and services create a multiplier effect to help build back better and faster after the disaster,” said Johnson.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), meanwhile, has also allocated funds for emergency employment.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has deployed a quick response team to immediately help displaced workers.

Typhoon Ruby first made landfall in Eastern Samar Saturday night, and crawled across the central Philippines before heading out to sea Tuesday night.

It was later downgraded to a tropical depression as it moved away from the country.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Jobs for architects here and abroad are aplenty - DOLE

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is encouraging graduating high school students to consider taking architecture if that is their inclination and if they wish to easily land a job after college.

An architect is a hard-to-fill occupation identified in the DOLE report, Project JobsFit: The DOLE 2020 Vision.

Project JobsFit: The DOLE 2020 Vision, is a nationwide research study aimed at identifying local and global industries that would drive employment growth, including the corresponding skills requirements, for the next ten years. It was conducted by the DOLE through its Bureau of Local Employment.

Based on the findings and recommendations of the study, the BLE developed the 101 Career Guides, a body of relevant and updated information on the basic education requirements of a job, skills competencies, salary, prospect for career advancement, and employment opportunities. The results are meant to be disseminated and shared mainly to students to help them make wise career decisions.

“We, at the department, would like to prepare our students by providing them with information that would help them make better choices for their future,” said Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz of the 101 Career Guides.

The 101 Career Guides describes an architect as a licensed professional trained in the art and science of building design and who provides a wide variety of professional services to individuals and organizations planning a construction project.

An architect is required to have a professional degree in architecture and, prior to taking a licensure examination, a period of practical training, and internship.

However, although graduate education beyond the professional degree is not essential for practicing architecture, it is normally required for research, teaching, and other specialized areas of architectural work.

A degree in architecture normally costs around P30,000 to P45,000 per semester in private schools and universities. However, tuition cost 20 to 40 percent less in public education institutions that offer the same discipline.

“An architect may receive salary that ranges from P18,000 to P40,000 a month depending on the type of employer,” Baldoz said.

“And if they are employed in other countries, such as the Middle East, they could receive a monthly salary of between $1,500 to $3,000,” she added.

“With the recent trend of outsourcing to local architectural firms the drafting of construction plans from foreign countries and the unprecedented growth in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in the Philippines, demand for this profession will also increase,” Baldoz said.

source: interaksyon.com