SyCipLaw's Employment and Immigration Department examines critical questions surrounding employee rights and employer obligations in the Philippines.

All employers seeking to employ foreign nationals on an Alien Employment Permit (AEP) are subject to the new labor market test requirement.

Pursuant to Department of Labor and Employment ("DOLE") Labor Advisory No. 18, series of 2020, employers, including contractors or subcontractors in the private sector, shall shoulder the cost of COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

On January 31, 2020, the Department of Labor and Employment ("DOLE") issued Labor Advisory No. 6, series of 2020, which prescribes the period for: [a] the payment and/or the release of the final pay; and [b] the issuance of Certificate of Employment to employees who are terminated from their employment.

The main legal risks arising from this misclassification include financial liabilities for unpaid statutory benefits and back taxes, and a finding of illegal dismissal due to the violation of the worker's security of tenure.

With the restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic lifted, people are on the lookout for employment opportunities.

On the heels of the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Labor Relations Commission ("NLRC") issued NLRC En Banc Resolution No. 03-20, series of 2020...

On October 24, 2022, the Department of Labor and Employment ("DOLE") issued Labor Advisory No. 20, series of 2022, which sets out the process for the issuance of the certification required from non-Philippine nationals intending to engage in business in the Philippines.

The Department of Labor and Employment of the Philippines has announced that employers seeking to employ foreign national employees will be required to follow new policies under the Alien Employment Permit (AEP) program...

The growing reliance towards digital courier services, including food delivery, has become evident when the COVID-19 pandemic started. This sector in the service industry continued to operate...

With the decreasing number of positive COVID-19 cases, more employees are now returning to on-site work and new COVID-19 testing protocols are in place.

SyCipLaw's Employment & Immigration Update (Volume XIX, Issue 1) features the latest issuances from the Department of Labor & Employment (DOLE), summaries of Supreme Court decisions...

As background checks and digital due diligence become standard practice, employers are increasingly aware of their workers' conduct beyond the workplace.

Philippine law sets a high standard in establishing a just cause for termination of employment. There are also due process requirements which must be complied with.

The 2025 NLRC Rules of Procedure (“2025 Rules”), which became effective 13 January 2026, replaced the 2011 NLRC Rules of Procedure, as amended (“2011 Rules”), after nearly fifteen years of application. Although the 2025 issuance has been described as a major procedural overhaul, a closer comparison shows that the reform is largely a recalibration rather than a wholesale restructuring.

Probationary employment is an arrangement where an employee is placed on trial by the employer for a period of time, not to exceed six months, to allow the employer to determine whether the employee is fit for regularization.

This Q&A is part of the publication designed to provide insights into hiring remote workers in Asia Pacific by members of the Employment Law Alliance (ELA). SyCipLaw contributed the guide for the Philippine jurisdiction.

The collection and processing of personal information, including employee data, is governed by the Data Privacy Act of 2012. Data privacy regulations are implemented by the National Privacy Commission (NPC).

Technological advances have allowed companies to undertake cross-border operations and engage individuals around the world without the need for relocation.

Under Philippine law, employment relationships are contractual in nature but imbued with public interest such that labour contracts must yield to the common good.