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A blueprint for the wholesale and retail trade sector was launched on June 16 by the Department of Trade and Industry, Philippine Retailers Association, and Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines
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The Section G: Job Blueprint for Wholesale and Retail Trade is focused on transforming the sector, alongside allied industries such as manufacturing and logistics, into a more competitive and future-ready driver of the Philippine economy
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It is built on six strategic pillars: consumer centricity, competitiveness and coopetition; collaboration and public-private partnerships; digital transformation, human capital development, and supply chain resilience and integration
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The next steps are focused on detailed engineering and implementation to translate strategic plans into concrete results, hopefully within the current administration’s term
A blueprint for the wholesale and retail trade sector was launched on June 16 by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippine Retailers Association (PRA), and Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines (SCMAP).
The Section G: Job Blueprint for Wholesale and Retail Trade is focused on transforming the sector, alongside allied industries such as manufacturing and logistics, into a more competitive and future-ready driver of the Philippine economy.
The launch follows the signing in November 2024 of a memorandum of understanding between the three parties to collaborate, prompted by the need to keep up with the changing landscape of the wholesale and retail industry—or the channel of distribution—with evolving technological advancements such as automation and the growth of e-commerce, and how these affect jobs in the industry.
“The Section G: Job Blueprint comes at a pivotal time. It is not just a document, but the beginning of an ongoing effort to build a stronger, more responsive retail sector by identifying the key challenges and proposing actionable, data-informed solutions, it helps us move toward innovation, resilience, and competitiveness,” PRA president Roberto Claudio, Sr. said.
For SCMAP, the blueprint represents another milestone in its efforts to extend its outreach to other sectors beyond what is traditionally seen as supply chain and logistics, and part of its advocacy to increase awareness of the importance of the supply chain sector in national progress and quality of life.
Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque, in a speech during the launch, said the blueprint is “our concrete action plan to generate employment, support businesses, and future-proof one of our economy’s most dynamic sectors, the Section G.”
The wholesale and retail trade sector is classified under Section G of the Philippine Standard Industrial Classification and is the largest source of employment in the Philippines, engaging over 10.2 million workers and contributing P4.9 trillion to the economy.
The blueprint is built on six strategic pillars: consumer centricity, competitiveness and coopetition; collaboration and public-private partnerships; digital transformation, human capital development, and supply chain resilience and integration.
Its strategies includes driving the sale of Philippine-made products, revising business licensing procedures and compliance requirements; leveling the playing field between online and offline merchants, local and foreign; fostering a more conducive and transparent regulatory policy environment to promote growth; and levering on Filipino cultural buying habits and holiday economics to position the Philippines as a global spending hub.
Other strategies include innovating models and integrating tradition with modern retail formats; empowering sari-sari stores as a collective force for economic growth, cultural heritage, and community engagement; bolstering industry organizations to improve standards and foster self regulation; supporting omnichannel and hybrid retail experiences; and accelerating digital adoption.
The blueprint will address workforce decline, dwindling labor pool, and bridge workforce requirements, as well as to skill, reskill, and upskill the workforce.
Improving access to supply chain financing, improving logistics infrastructure and supply chain efficiency, and advancing sustainability and environmental responsibility are also part of the blueprint’s strategies.
DTI said the framework is a foundation developed with the private sector, with the next steps focused on detailed engineering and implementation to translate strategic plans into concrete results, hopefully within the current administration’s term.
The full roll out of the blueprint is set during the upcoming MSME (micro, small, and medium enterprises) Summit in July.
As part of the partnership, a two-day job fair providing employment opportunities in the retail, logistics, and supply chain industries is being held on June 16-17. – Roumina Pablo
