Matching Talent to the Jobs of Tomorrow A Guidebook for Public Employment Services 2025

2 Innovative solutions and use cases CASE STUDY 4 Philippines About the Department of Trade and Industry The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the Philippines is a government agency dedicated to driving trade and industry development. It plays a pivotal role in supporting businesses, attracting investments and ensuring consumer protection. DTI’s mission is to drive a competitive and innovative industrial sector, facilitate inclusive economic growth and generate employment through effective policies and programmes.6 Job matching scope The Philippines’ job-matching services integrate government-led efforts with private sector initiatives to create a comprehensive employment ecosystem. The national government is currently developing a digital portal designed to streamline job matching across diverse sectors, including opportunities abroad. This platform enhances connectivity between job seekers and employers through features like user registration, profile verification and detailed job preference settings. Assessing this information, the system will efficiently identify and match candidates with the most suitable employment opportunities. Technology use cases The national government in the Philippines uses online portals and mobile applications to deliver job matching services, offering job alerts and virtual skill-building resources. The current system employs non-AI filtering to connect job seekers with opportunities, developed and managed through in-house efforts, local ICT collaborations and third-party consultants. Future plans include integrating AI-driven features to enhance job matching precision by considering factors like personality traits and cultural alignment for a more comprehensive employment service. Key success factors –Government support for digital transformation: Initiatives such as the establishment of the Centre for AI Research and the inclusion of innovation as a pillar in the competitiveness index for cities and municipalities drive progress in digital employment solutions. –PPPs: Collaborative efforts between government and private entities ensure the relevance and effective implementation of tailored solutions across various sectors. Challenges The effective deployment of solutions for job matching in the Philippines encounters several challenges. A critical gap in comprehensive and up-to-date data on skills demand results from fragmented and outdated data collection systems, limited coverage of rural and informal sectors, and infrequent labour market studies that do not keep pace with evolving needs. These issues hinder accurate matching between job seekers and opportunities. Inadequate technological infrastructure and limited internet access, particularly in rural areas, also restrict the reach and effectiveness of digital platforms. Budget constraints impede the development, deployment and scaling of advanced technologies. Existing systems often have complex user interfaces that discourage engagement from job seekers and employers. Moreover, inefficiencies in profile verification and authenticity checks lead to delays and obstacles in hiring processes. Matching Talent to the Jobs of Tomorrow: A Guidebook for Public Employment Services 26