Bill proposes P5,000 cash aid for fresh graduates to ease job search costs
A bill has been filed in the Senate proposing one-time P5,000 cash aid for fresh graduates to help mitigate job-hunting costs.
Senate Bill No. 1961, or the Fresh Graduates P5,000 One-Time Cash Grant Act of 2026, seeks to provide this cash support to "Filipino graduates of higher education and training institutions as they transition from education to employment," as a statement from the Senate of the Philippines noted.
Authored by Sen. JV Ejercito, the bill was scheduled for discussion by the Senate Committees on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education and Finance when session resumed on May 4.
Despite the eagerness of many graduates to find jobs, some are overwhelmed by the cost of having to apply for work in the Philippines. Ejercito pointed out several pain points for job hunters that require them to shell out money they haven't even earned yet: transportation fare for job interviews, appropriate work attire, the printing of resumés and documents, etc.
The proposed bill enhances the existing Republic Act No. 11261, or the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act, which mandates the waiving of government fees for documents required for employment applications.
To properly implement the proposed program, the measure also seeks to create an Inter-Agency Monitoring Committee to be headed by the Commission on Higher Education, in cooperation with the appropriate government agencies.
According to figures presented by CHED chairperson Shirley Agrupis in August 2025, the June 2025 Labor Force Survey conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment found 2.6% increase in the number of unemployed college graduates from the 35.6% in December 2024.
In an April 2026 report by the Philippine Statistics Authority, the unemployment rate as of February 2026 was at 5.1%, a bit lower than in January, which was at 5.8%. However, it is still higher than the percentage of unemployed Filipinos in February 2025, which was at 3.8%.
