The Philippines’ construction industry is undergoing the “twin transition” of digital innovation and the push for climate-resilient building, prompting a coordinated effort to equip young workers with the skills needed to keep pace, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said in a news release.
“The challenges and opportunities from the twin digital and green transitions are felt much more in the Philippines,” said Khalid Hassan, Director of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines.
“Our focus is to ensure that training programs are accessible, especially for youth from low- to medium-skill backgrounds, who stand to benefit the most from these new job opportunities.”
Together with its partners, ILO is ramping up initiatives to ensure Filipino youth are not left behind, but instead positioned to benefit from new, higher-quality job opportunities.
At a DigiGreen construction skills partnership forum held on March 25, 2026 in Quezon City, government agencies, industry leaders, and training institutions aligned efforts to prepare young workers for a more technology-driven and environmentally sustainable construction landscape.
The urgency is clear. Construction, one of the country’s largest sources of employment, is rapidly evolving, with demand rising for workers who can navigate both digital tools and green building practices. Without targeted training, many risk being excluded from emerging roles.
Central to the initiative are two critical skill areas: Building Information Modeling (BIM) and green construction.
BIM—a digital system that enables more efficient design, planning, and management of buildings—is fast becoming a global industry standard. It is already required in large-scale projects in countries such as Korea, Singapore, and Dubai, signaling a shift toward higher productivity, cost efficiency, and reduced environmental impact.
“BIM and green construction skills are among the most important starting points for leveraging the digital and green transitions to improve youth employment in this sector,” said Hochul Shin, Chief Technical Adviser of the ILO/Korea Partnership Programme.
For young workers, acquiring these competencies can open doors to more specialized roles, better wages, and more stable career paths — moving beyond traditionally informal and precarious construction work.
To help bridge the gap between training and employment, the forum also marked the formal handover of learning modules to key Philippine institutions, including the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Construction Manpower Development Foundation (CMDF), and the Philippine Constructors Association (PCA).
The initiative forms part of the ILO/Korea Partnership Programme’s Advancing Digital and Green Skills for Youth in ASEAN project, aimed at future-proofing the region’s workforce amid rapid economic and environmental shifts.