MANILA, Philippines — A data bank on employment is being planned to establish a comprehensive picture of the country’s employment situation so as to provide a guide on how to better address the job market.

Edgardo B. Lacson, president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECoP), said they are creating a technical working group together with the government to come up with a nationwide employment survey.

Lacson noted that the current information is still based on two to three year-old employment data.

“An updated employment data bank would help see the real employment situation and enable us to come up with a good plan,” he said.

The employment data bank, he said, is expected to be competed within a year. It should include detailed salaries in the provinces.

“This would help us define the status of the job market,” he said.

It could be recalled that ECoP has been proposing for an overhaul of the antiquated Labor Code. Lacson said that ECoP attempted in 1994 to amend the Labor Code but to no avail because of strong oppositions from various parties.

“This time ECOP would be proposing for a major overhaul of the 1974 Labor Code with the objectives of being competitive and being fair to both employers and workers,” Lacson said.

Among the salient points for review is the provision on contracting and subcontracting particularly Articles 106 to 109 of the Labor Code and the Department Order No. 18-02, recognizing the need for a more dynamic and flexible work arrangement in support of the most promising business process outsourcing sector.

There is also a need to repeal the policy on night work prohibition for women under Article 130 of the Labor Code, as well as renouncing the Philippine ratification of ILO Convention No. 89, bearing in mind the important role that women play in nation building as well as the growth and development of the economy.

A review of the law and policy on wage fixing and determination under Article 100 of the Labor Code was also pushed. ECoP said that employers must be given the flexibility and leeway to adjust wages especially in times of economic difficulty.

The employers said it is their ‘prerogative to consult with their own workers on the need to realign compensation and other benefits in order to remain resilient, operation and prevent job losses, and in essence promoting the rights and freedom of employers and workers to freely negotiate the terms and conditions of employment.”