ILOILO City – More than 7,000 job vacancies will be opened to jobseekers in Western Visayas on May 1 as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Office 6 mounts what it calls its “biggest and grandest” Labor Day job fair, underscoring strong labor demand across key industries in the region.
The job fair, set at Robinsons Place Iloilo, will bring together 79 employers offering a total of 7,329 job vacancies for both local and overseas employment, with more than 1,000 applicants expected to converge in one of the largest hiring events in the region this year.
“This is the biggest and grandest job fair of the year. We have 79 participating employers — 69 local and 10 overseas — with more than 7,000 job vacancies available. This is a major opportunity for jobseekers to find employment in one venue,” said Atty. Jorge Ferraris II, officer-in-charge of DOLE-6’s Technical Support and Services Division.
Of the total vacancies, 3,811 are for local employment while 3,518 are for overseas jobs, reflecting both domestic hiring needs and continued demand for Filipino workers abroad.
Ferraris emphasized that the volume of openings signals sustained hiring momentum across multiple sectors.
“Our top industries include administrative and support services, public administration, construction, wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, financial services, and information and communication,” he said. “These industries are actively hiring, which shows strong labor demand.”
Among the most in-demand positions are customer service representatives, sales associates, service crew, food handlers, financial consultants, delivery riders, loan officers, and production workers.
The Philippine Army will also take part, offering around 400 slots for officer candidate soldier courses.
With a large turnout expected, DOLE-6 urged applicants to pre-register online to ease processing and avoid delays at the venue.
“We are expecting long queues, so we strongly advise applicants to register in advance to make the process faster and more convenient,” Ferraris said.
A “one-stop shop” will also be set up at the job fair, allowing applicants to process employment requirements on-site with participating government agencies.
These include Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Health, Philippine National Police, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, Civil Service Commission, Professional Regulation Commission, Philippine Statistics Authority, Department of Social Welfare and Development, National Bureau of Investigation, Social Security System, among others.
“Ang aton goal is not just to provide jobs but to make the application process easier. That’s why we brought together different agencies so jobseekers can access everything they need in one place,” Ferraris added.
The Labor Day job fair forms part of DOLE’s broader May 1 activities, which include a labor run, occupational safety and health seminars, and a photo competition.
“This Labor Day, we want to ensure that more Filipinos are given access to decent and productive employment. This job fair is one concrete way of helping them achieve that,” Ferraris said./PN
