The government is rushing the implementation of "Project Jobs Fit" to identify preferred skills needed by emerging industries that would complement the efforts to address the country's unemployment problem.

Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito Roque said the DoLE regional offices will finish consulting with the industry sector and other stakeholders including the academe next month to identify the skills needed by employers.

The project's output would be the Jobs Fit action plan or road map as the basis of the education sector and other stakeholders in the development of appropriate curricula and career materials including the provision of training and educational scholarships aimed at meeting the skills requirements of the industry.

Roque said the measure seeks to address the perennial problem of jobs and skills mismatch which underscores the unemployment and underemployment of many Filipinos particularly among the youth sector.

He noted that the problem on unemployment cannot be attributed solely to lack of employment opportunities, citing the many vacancies posted in the online PhilJobNet skills and jobs matching system that are hard to fill due to lack of qualified applicants.

"With the Jobs Fit, students and other future jobseekers would be guided on what college course or skills training to take to immediately land in industry job upon graduation, thereby, addressing in large measure youth unemployment," Roque said.

The Jobs Fit study is also expected to benefit the business group as it identifies the industries that will be the key employment generators in the next 10 years.

The DoLE regional offices have been directed to come up with the Job Fit road map before the year ends to help prepare the country in taking advantage of the expected inflow of investments along with the global economic rebound in 2010.

Job Fit would complement the efforts of President Arroyo to attract investments and invigorate the economy to generate more jobs for the unemployed in the country.