The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has proposed a total budget of P45 billion for 2025, a 26 percent decrease from its recent P61 billion budget allocation.
DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said the proposed budget for the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP) reflects a P15 billion reduction from this year's P61 billion but is still higher than the P39 billion allocated for the 2024 NEP.
The budget breakdown reveals that P34.36 billion, or 76 percent, will be used for maintenance and operating expenses, P7.36 billion, or 16 percent, for personal services, and P3.56 billion, or 8 percent, for capital outlay.
Fifty-four percent of the total budget will go to DOLE’s attached agencies, including P18.50 billion for the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), P2.71 billion for the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), P1.50 billion for the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC), P329.27 million for the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), P351.21 million for the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC), and P95.56 million for the Institute for Labor Studies.
Major departmental programs will see significant funding: P1.22 billion for employability and competitiveness, P979 million for workers' protection and industrial peace, and P17.66 billion for the social protection of vulnerable workers, including the TUPAD emergency employment program.
Laguesma said the proposed budget is intended to support the Labor and Employment Plan (LEP) 2023-2028 and the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act by driving social and economic change to enhance prosperity, inclusive growth, and stability.
“Our mandate is clear: create jobs, protect workers’ rights, and promote industrial peace," he added.