THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is collaborating with the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) and the Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines (SCMAP) to launch a blueprint for job creation in the retail and wholesale trade sector.

The project, dubbed "Job Blueprint," aims to benefit over 10 million Filipinos in an industry that contributes P4.4 trillion to the Philippine economy.

"By uniting the DTI, PRA and SCMAP, we're charting a new course for collaborative development," Acting Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said. "The Job Blueprint is a strategic framework to create a thriving job market, ensuring that innovation and technological advancements translate into more opportunities for every Filipino."

For starters, the DTI gathered various stakeholders, including supermarket representatives, specialized retailers, major consumer goods distributors, automotive stores and sari-sari stores, to discuss the plan to address challenges and opportunities in the retail and wholesale industry.

The participants discussed a wide range of issues, such as workforce development, digital transformation, supply chain optimization and regulatory landscape.Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed the General Retail Price Index (GRPI) in Metro Manila fell by 1.4 percent in August from 1.9 percent in July and from last year's 3.9 percent annual rate.The annual rate of the general wholesale price index (GWPI), meanwhile, slowed down to 1.4 percent from 2.4 percent in July and 3.9 percent in 2023.

The Job Blueprint is expected to help realize the government's goals of inclusive growth, poverty reduction and global competitiveness.