The Coronavirus pandemic has sent shockwaves across the globe and unarguably, the most affected segment is the workforce. Reports from the Public Team against Coronavirus and the Office Team for the Administration of Arising Irresistible Illnesses (IATF-EID) have recognized work environments as one of the essential wellsprings of the flood in contaminations. In mid-Walk 2020, most organizations were requested to close their actual work environments as a feature of the measures to check the spread of the infection. A few firms had the option to embrace digital platforms to continue their operations, yet numerous enterprises failed to perform efficiently from the comforts of their home.
Philippines has managed to shut down health progress for decades by writing the UHC right into law; registering all citizens with Philippine Health Insurance Corp, or national PhilHealth; and making changes to make UHC a reality. This national policy has strengthened the health sector's response to COVID-19 and empowered the country's Department of Health to maintain its commitment to the UHC during the current crisis.
Prior to the epidemic, the ReachHealth Project of the United States Agency for International Development - in partnership with the Philippine Department of Health, PhilHealth, World Health Organization, and other partners - helped build national tools and training at UHC, while supporting local governments to come up with policies and structures through various funding campaigns.
Experts estimate a large proportion of telephone operations (69%) would help in saving thousands of enterprises during the pandemic. Similarly, 46% of the auxiliary writing staff and 30% of the professionals and related professionals in non-domestic jobs would provide aid to the digitalization of the workspace. However, these working groups are less than 16% of total work when it comes to trained and efficient workforce.
While basic jobs and skilled workers in agriculture account for about 40% of total jobs in the economy, almost all of these jobs have come to a halt due to COVID-19. The epidemic has further highlighted job creation as opposed to the employment of a large portion of Filipino workers, which has been a major threat to their economic survival under the current closure.
Domestic workers are often well-educated and workers who are unable to work from home are characterized by low levels of education. This is an area of inequality that has been highlighted by the epidemic. Having access to higher education opens up a whole new world of possibilities for people to pay well, but it also has the power to change the way we work. These workers can better cope with the effects of epidemics or other problems that require them to work from home.
The results of the AIM RSN PCC study also show that those with lower personal incomes, those with lower levels of education, and those working in sectors such as agriculture and marketing are at a major disadvantage by not being able to work from home.
The COVID-19 epidemic has highlighted the dangers of workers in the unemployed sector. Not only are they at high risk of losing their jobs as the period of continuous segregation progresses, but they are also exposed to health risks due to the lack of safe means of access to work. They may also not have enough money to buy health insurance and access to health services when they are sick.
Although only 12% of employees currently work in telecommunications services, and only about 26% of telecommunications jobs, these numbers make up an important contribution. Getting more workers ready for telework can help address some of the labor market inequalities mentioned above. While millions of employees are now able to work by telephone, now is a good time like any private company and government to work together to make this a successful, long-term employment option for the vast majority of employees.
