Marcos Jr. eyes investment by improving business environment amid 5% unemployment rate

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. aims to spur job creation and attract more investment by strengthening a "fair, transparent and enabling" business environment.

He made the pronouncement as the country's unemployment rate climbed to a three-month high of 5% in October, affecting 2.54 million Filipinos.

Speaking at a job fair in Pasay City, Marcos encouraged entrepreneurs to leverage the occasion for building partnerships and exploring new ideas.

The President highlighted deeper public-private cooperation, citing work with the Private Sector Advisory Council that has resulted in over 5,000 job fairs since 2023, reaching 1.3 million job seekers and yielding at least 200,000 hired-on-the-spot placements.

He acknowledged the difficulties many Filipinos face in securing employment that aligns with their skills and aspirations, stressing the need to connect them to jobs matching their competencies as industries rapidly adopt new technologies.

Marcos urged entrepreneurs to showcase the creativity and innovation characteristic of the Filipino spirit.