POE ON UNEMPLOYMENT:

Urgent measures are needed to stop the unemployment bleeding that deprives millions of families of sustainable income and decent food on the table.

The country's joblessness record remains high and more workers are being continuously terminated as businesses continue to struggle.

The recent layoffs by Philippine Airlines will not only impact on the 2,300 employees who will be out of jobs but on their families and dependents as well.

With a robust and more broad-based state-led development strategy, the previously poorer Vietnam embarked on a long and steady climb to overtake the Philippines in terms of per capita income, according to the World Economic Report.

While much hope is pinned on the coming of the COVID-19 vaccine, a dose of reality should tell concerned government agencies to double their efforts to come to the aid of our displaced workers.

Direct cash aid, skills training and re-training, livelihood assistance, emergency jobs creation programs and unemployment benefits are what the people immediately need to help them tide over this difficult period.

Our workers are our best resources and drivers of the economy to help us get over the hump of this crisis.