ILOILO City – A total of 328 jobseekers were hired on-the-spot at job fairs across Western Visayas during Labor Day on May 1.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) organized the job fairs.
Of those hired instantly, 55 were in Aklan, 12 in Antique, 41 in Capiz, 25 in Guimaras, 66 in Iloilo, and 129 in Negros Occidental.
The positions filled ranged from sales associates, staff nurses, Information Technology specialists, clerks, cashiers, baggers, customer service representatives, waiters, service crew members, promodizers, and loan processors, among others.
Additionally, 55 of the jobseekers were recruited for the Government Internship Program (GIP), where they will be supported by DOLE to work in the public sector, particularly with partner government agencies and local government units (LGUs) for a period of three to six months, earning a daily salary of P480.
The successful candidates were part of a larger group of 4,989 jobseekers who were interviewed during the job fairs.
According to DOLE Region 6, more than 6,000 jobseekers participated in the job fairs which featured 243 local employers offering a total of 20,320 local job vacancies.
Apart from job placements, DOLE also provided skills enhancement and training to 409 individuals, livelihood assistance to 2,088 people, entrepreneurship opportunities to 341 individuals, and various services to 855 participants in collaboration with partnered government agencies such as the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), and PhilHealth.
This year’s Labor Day job fairs took place at several venues including the Northwestern Visayas College Gym in Kalibo, Aklan; Robinsons Place Antique in San Jose de Buenavista; Robinsons Place Pueblo de Panay in Roxas City, Capiz; Buenavista Gym in Guimaras; Robinsons Place (Main) in Iloilo City; and SM City in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.
The job fairs also included the Kadiwa ng Pangulo market, where 360 sellers from 45 enterprises sold fresh, nutritious, and affordable farm products, processed foods, native products, dairy items, and other produce from the livelihood projects of the informal sector.
During the job fair, DOLE also released P218.9 million in combined assistance for emergency employment for TUPAD (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers) and livelihood assistance for the Kabuhayan Program, benefiting 36,053 informal workers./PN