The World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Work, Wages and Job Creation Mission cited the need to promote technology adoption, upskill the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) workforce and drive high-productivity growth across the sector.
The two groups, in a meeting with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), discussed the imperative to generate more jobs, based on the “Future of Jobs Accelerator for MSME Development in the Philippines” presentation.
This initiative was underscored by the WEF Philippines Future of Jobs Workshop Report 2025, which identifies technological change as the primary driver of job transformation.
Despite MSMEs accounting for 99.6 percent of businesses, 45.5 percent of GDP and 67 percent of employment, the report noted that productivity per worker in MSMEs is just 29 percent of that in large enterprises.
Looking ahead to 2030, the report projects that 68 out of every 100 workers will need training.
