Status, Challenges and Directions of the Labor Market in Bataan: Basis for Curriculum Enhancement / Cayabyab, Eleonor C. Agkis, Erasto G.

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This study aimed to determine the Status, Challenges and Directions of the Labor Market in Bataan during the Fiscal Year 2013. The respondents were the employed and unemployed professional, technical and vocational graduates of the state and private colleges and universities in Bataan during the Calendar Years 2007-2013. The participating Administrators of the Higher Education Institutions and Managers of Business Establishments were delimited to those within Bataan only. The various enterprises that participated in this study were the Freeport Area of Bataan, Hermosa Ecozone Industrial Park, Bataan Refinery Corporation, Bataan-Papermills 2020 and popular food chains in the province. This study focused on the perceptions of the four groups of respondents regarding the labor market particularly paying attention to their demographic profiles, highest educational attainment, employment status and position, eligibility, experience and training. The core of the study covered manpower needs categorized as professional, technical and vocational graduates and the relationship to supply and demand with specific variables such as the salary/wage and employment rate. Challenges in the work force such as mismatch of skills, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, industry and academe linkage and recruitment hurdles were also included in identifying the problems that surfaced concerning the directions of labor market in Bataan. The data gathered were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 18 employing descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, weighted mean and standard deviation as well as inferential statistics like the Independent Sample t-test. On the basis of the data gathered, the following were disclosed: The status of labor market in terms of manpower needs and supply and demand were significantly different in all areas as perceived by the four groups of respondents, thus, the null hypothesis of no significant difference was rejected. The challenges of labor market in terms of matching of skills, interpersonal skills, intrapersonal skills, and industry-academe linkages were significantly different as perceived by the employed and unemployed respondents. But in terms of recruitment the null hypothesis of no significant difference was accepted. Similarly, the challenges of labor market in terms of intrapersonal skills and industry-academe linkages were significantly different as perceived by the managers and administrators while matching of skills, interpersonal skills, and recruitment hurdles were not significantly different. Concerning the problems of the labor market, there was a significant difference between the perceived problems of the employed respondents and unemployed group while no significant difference resulted between managers and administrators. Overall, the null hypothesis of no significant difference on the perceptions of the four groups of respondents was rejected. Central to the findings and conclusions were the recommendations drawn highlighting the proposed curriculum enhancement strategy with implications to the outcome-based quality assurance in education. Indeed, the differences in the perceptions of the respondents substantiated that there are gaps hindering the precise directions for a workable collaboration towards a steady and job ready labor market. However, the similarity of views indicating that problems prevail in the labor market is a progressive indicator that policies towards sustainable employment in Bataan can be achieved if all the stakeholders will commit to make the graduates benefit from their college education.