BACOLOD City – The number of summer job beneficiaries in this city has decreased this year despite the increase in slots allocated by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to the local government.
The summer employment program, part of DOLE’s Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES), offers temporary jobs to poor but deserving students, out-of-school youth, and dependents of displaced or would-be displaced workers during the summer break.
According to Executive Assistant II Jovelyn Canoy, Public Employment Service Office (PESO) coordinator, the city hired 957 summer jobbers this year, down from 1,041 in 2024.
Canoy explained that the decrease was due to the shift in funding sources.
“Last year, DOLE allotted only 30 slots while the local government covered the rest. This year, DOLE allotted 500 slots, while the LGU (local government unit) filled the remaining 457,” she said.
She added that the increase in DOLE’s allocation of slots was due to the LGU’s ability to fund a significant portion of the salaries.
Under the DOLE slots, summer jobber will receive a daily wage of P691, amounting to over P14,000 for 20 days of work. The funding will be shared, with 60 percent shouldered by the LGU and 40 percent by DOLE.
On the other hand, those under the LGU slots will receive P480 per day, totaling a little over P9,000 for the same duration.
The summer work program will run from June 9 to July 4.
The hired jobbers, aged 15 to 30, will be deployed throughout the city to gather data from millennials about their preferred job opportunities. The data will help PESO determine how it can better assist in employment and placement services./PN
