117. There are more early leavers than available jobs. Students who do not proceed or finish college, called early leavers, do not find work because there are only a few options and opportunities for them to be employed. Costs of job application 118. Job applications can be costly for graduates. Despite the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act, waiving the transaction fees for documentary requirements from government offices such as clearances from police, barangay, and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), birth certificate, transcript of records, Tax Identification Number (TIN), and Unified MultiPurpose (UMID) ID, youth participants relate that other expenses such as transportation costs, and even at times, fees for medical or health requirements required for the job that are not covered or reimbursed by the employer pose an additional burden to them. Such additional employment expenses also pose another challenge to out-of-school youth and those living below the poverty level, who are already disadvantaged, as observed in the USAID report correlating the trend of OSY with poverty. Availability of jobs upon graduation/leaving school 119. Companies employ early leavers or K to 12 graduates, but most graduates still have difficulty finding a job. Most of those who employ K to 12 graduates are business process outsourcing (BPO), call center companies, and some small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as observed by an employer participant. Moreover, as another employer participant shares, their company is open to accepting K to 12 graduates since, based on their experience, they tend to stay longer in terms of tenure and because the company has also employed college undergraduates who have become regular employees. They have positions for the K to 12 graduates starting on documentation, labor, and utilities. However, most still have difficulty getting hired because employers still prefer applicants with bachelor’s degrees. In the study by Orbeta and Potestad, from July 2018 to April 2020, while more SHS graduates are in the labor force, have lower visible underemployment rate, work more hours, more are wage and salary workers, and have a higher proportion working in the industry compared to second-year college completers, they have lower employment rate and lower proportion than those who are self-employed.169 Issues Specific to K to 12 Program Teachers, School Administrators, and Principals Lower turnout for SHS compared to previous years 120. 169 Although there is a lower turnout of SHS and youth enrollees this year, unlike in previous years, public school enrolment has increased. Data from DepEd shows that the total number of enrollees in Grade 11 and 12 (senior high school) in the country for the school year Orbeta & Potestad, supra note 51 at 20. 47