Philippines’ Green Jobs Act of 2016

The Philippines’ Green Jobs Act of 2016 was a major piece of legislation designed to create and maintain jobs in the emerging green economy. It identifies skills needs, develops training programmes, and trains and certifies workers for jobs in a range of industries related to sustainable development and the transition to a green economy. It offers financial support for the creation of green jobs, including generous tax deductions for skills training programmes. 

The Act lays out a cross-agency effort to implement its goals. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) was tasked with developing a National Green Jobs Human Resource Development Plan on the development and deployment of the public and private sector labour forces. The plan includes programmes and projects related to basic and higher education as well as technical-vocational training. 

The DOLE, together with the Philippine Statistics Agency, maintains a database of green jobs as well as a list of companies that are expected to create new clean energy jobs in support of skills training assessments and certifications. The Department of Finance administers financial incentives (including new tax incentives introduced in the law) to qualified people and businesses engaged in registered activities. 

Several education departments and authorities oversee development and implantation of curricula and certifications for skills needed for a clean energy transition, while the Department of Trade and Industry established a special business facilitation programme for people and businesses that create green jobs. Other governmental departments also ensure mainstreaming of green jobs in sectoral development plans, such as transport, sustainable tourism and green buildings. 

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