Firms urged to invest in L&D for workers

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

INVESTING in learning and develop - ment (L&D) is increasingly becoming important in the region, including in the Philippines, as companies ensure that the work force is ready to optimize economic opportunities, according to LinkedIn.

I n its latest Southeast Asia (SEA) report, LinkedIn found that 9 in 10 L&D professionals in the region agree that building employee skills for today and tomorrow will help navigate the evolving future of work.

T he data also showed that over 1 in 2 or 53 percent of L&D leaders across the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore expect to gain more spending power in 2023.

“ To remain agile and resilient in the fast-evolving business environment, companies are prioritizing soft skills to help their work force navigate complex work situations, build relationships, and achieve results,” LinkedIn said.

T he report showed that 3 in 10 or 29 percent of L&D leaders are in the early stage of proposing the idea of large-scale upskilling and reskilling initiatives in their organization and assembling a team to do so, as compared to only 16 percent in 2022.

Top programs these L&D leaders are planning for in 2023 are in mentorship, large-scale upskilling, employee well-being and digital fluency or transformation.

This growing culture of learning is reflected in the evolving role of L&D departments within companies, as CSuite is tapping more to help boost growth by building people-centric cultures and deploying skilling programs,” LinkedIn said.

Further, companies also recognize that skill building has a positive impact on employee retention.

M ajority or 94 percent of organizations in SEA are concerned about employee retention, and 6 in 10 are providing learning opportunities to improve employee retention.

T he data also showed that over 8 in 10 or 82 percent agree it is less expensive to reskill a current employee than to hire a new one. Data on the 2023 Most In-Demand Skills in the Philippines, based on paid job postings as well as standout skills of professionals who received a recruiter’s InMail or were hired in the past six months, shows that companies in the country value talent who have a customer service orientation the most,” LinkedIn said.

L inkedIn added that skills that seek to improve the handling of diverse people and situations are highly sought after as well.

H ard skills such as research and marketing round up the list of skills that can help professionals stand out and for businesses to navigate and thrive in this environment.

Intensified enforcement of rules on sale of vape products assured

By Andrea E. San Juan

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has assured the public of its intensified enforcement activities to ensure the compliance of business establishments with Republic Act No. 11900 (RA 11900) or the “Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act,” and its implementing rules and regulations (IRR).

W ith the effectivity of the IRR on December 28, 2022, the DTI said manufacturers and importers are given an 18-month transitory period until June 5,2024, to comply with product registration and certification requirements under RA 11900.

For product registration, the DTI said only Bureau of Philippine Standards-registered and certified vaporized nicotine and non-nicotine products, their devices, and novel tobacco products with the applicable graphic and textual health warnings shall be sold to the general public by June 2024.

T he DTI reminded online and offline businesses to strictly comply with the law particularly in ensuring that minors have no access to these products, adding that violators will be prosecuted accordingly.

T he trade department, through the Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB), its enforcement arm, recently inspected 11 vape shops selling vaporized nicotine and non-nicotine products and novel tobacco products in Manila.

T he enforcement operation, headed by Assistant Secretary for DTI-Consumer Protection Group (CPG) Ann Claire C. Cabochan said that of the 11 inspected, eight non-conforming shops were issued a notice of violation (NOV), requiring each of them to submit a written explanation within 48 hours from receipt.

According to DTI, the inspections resulted in the sealing of 3,318 units of vape products worth P863,240 in Manila.

T he DTI-FTEB said among the rules that were allegedly violated by the vape shops are: Rule V, Section 6 that requires posting of the minimum age requirement around the establishment.

A nother probable rule violation was Rule VI, Section 1, which prohibits selling vapor products with fruit flavors and/or packaging that uses cartoon characters.