Abstract

The Skills for Prosperity Project implemented in the Philippines in 2022, funded by the U.K. Global Prosperity Fund and implemented by the ILO, aimed to enhance national capacity to increase inclusive, mutually beneficial economic development resulting from more equitable employability and productivity by enabling policies and practices that ensure cost-effectiveness, access, and sustained quality of TVET.

One of the four areas of the Project achievement was enhancing the industry relevance of skills and TVET systems. More specifically, the Project sought to strengthen the labour market information system, particularly in data collection and analysis of job market demand for the skilled workforce. This Project component was implemented with the contribution of GJASD International.

Technical Education and Vocational Training (TVET) systems are commonly expected to deliver graduates in response to the "labour market demand" for skilled labour. TVET systems continue seeking labour market information (LMI), which would be able to advise planning of the training delivery. The Abstract presents the innovative approach to improving the accuracy of the labour force occupational analysis for TVET delivery planning suggested by consultants of GJASD International and piloted in three Visayas regions of the Philippines:

1. Consultants of GJASD International have extended the analysis of skilled labour and analysed the skilled labour supply in the three regions. There are no examples of the occupational analysis of the Supply in professional literature, including the occupational analysis of graduates and unemployed combined as a supply.

2. Consultants of GJASD International have developed the concept of a supply-to-demand ratio by occupation. There are no examples of such a concept in the professional literature. Moreover, the concept of "adequate supply" proposed and used in the Pilot is entirely new. The method of interpretation of supply-to-demand ratios for advising TVET and tertiary education systems has never been used elsewhere.

3. The methodology for analysing demand for occupations has been adapted from the US BLS practice. GJASD International's Consultants used their method to analyse the "replacement demand" by producing "synthetic" estimates. In addition, the Consultants suggested introducing modifications to the LFS questionnaire to collect missing data on the "replacement demand" by occupation.

Generally, the national labour market-oriented statistical surveys (LFS, labour turnover survey, etc.) do not directly aim to advise TVET and tertiary education systems. Therefore, the professional education systems must identify, interpret and use additional LMI containing estimates of anticipated annual demand for skilled labour and detailed occupational structure of the labour force.

Consequently, while countries have such powerful statistical tools as an LFS, the National Statistical Organisations do not provide the Ministries of Education and Ministries of Labour with data on persons employed by industry and occupation at ISCO-08 levels 3 and 4 (minor and unit groups) and do not produce estimates of replacement demand.

The new methodological approaches unfolded in this abstract report aimed at enhancing the coverage and quality of the labour market information for improved accuracy of the labour force occupational analysis for TVET delivery planning were presented and discussed at the above workshops.