To support the government’s massive “Build! Build! Build!” program, a sufficient and steady manpower is vital to ensure proper infrastructure building and industry development, the country’s trade chief has said.

Secretary Lopez at the CIAP HR Forum.

During the Philippine Construction Human Resource Forum 2017 on July 19, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez urged industry players to help the government institutionalize human resource (HR) development in the construction industry.

“A well-designed compensation and benefits plan could be of great help in attracting, motivating and retaining talents in the industry,” said Sec. Lopez.

With the strong demographic fundamentals of the country, DTI aims to utilize the country’s labor force capacity to meet the massive labor requirements in anticipation of the surge of infrastructure projects in the coming years.

The trade chief highlighted the importance of capacitating workers, and equipping them with skill sets that will further lead to greater job satisfaction, stronger employee loyalty, and higher productivity.

DTI—together with the Labor Department, the National Economic Development Authority, the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Professional Regulation Commission—collaborated with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and construction HR practitioners to develop a standardized compensation program that will align benefits plan for talents in Philippine companies.

“I am confident that our joint initiatives will provide the needed impetus to create a new phase in construction HR development that would be more responsive to the industry’s manpower requirements,” said Sec. Lopez.

The first-ever Construction HR Forum is a pioneering initiative of the Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP) and the Construction Manpower Development Foundation (CMDF), the construction industry development and regulation arms of the DTI.

The goal of the Forum was to lay the manpower groundwork as the Philippines approaches the “Golden Age of Infrastructure” through the “Build! Build! Build!” Program.

“Let us work together to foster a collaborative environment that would support our construction industry as we build a nation where our countrymen can enjoy the fruits of our country’s inclusive growth,” he concluded.