Published January 7, 2021, 5:51 PM
The labor department on Thursday, Jan. 7, said it is supporting the imposition of a safeguard duty on imported passenger and light vehicles to protect workers in the automotive industry.
In a statement, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the significant measure will “protect workers and improve the labor market condition in the industry battered not just by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the influx of imported vehicles.”
He cited data from the Labor Force Survey showing employment in the automotive sector declined from a high of 109,000 in 2016 to 93,000 in 2019 despite the growth of the automotive market driven by high domestic consumption.