40,000 applicants troop to DOLE job fairs

MANILA, Philippines - Thousands came, but only a few were chosen.

Close to 40,000 jobseekers trooped yesterday to the different government-initiated job fairs nationwide.

However, only over a thousand went home with sure employment.

Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said as of noon yesterday, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) recorded a total of 36,765 job applicants and of the number, 1,274 were hired on the spot.                       

“This is just a preliminary report, there are still many vacancies available that our workers can apply for,” she said.

Baldoz said jobseekers can still find employment as the government will continue to hold job fairs for a month and provide necessary training to those who failed to qualify.

About 3,340 applicants will undergo further interviews with employers and close to 200 nearly hired were referred for training to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, she added.             

Baldoz said about 300 people were also provided government livelihood assistance in yesterday’s job fair.           

“The number of jobs being offered during job fairs is normally higher than the number of applicants,” she said.

Baldoz said available local jobs are getting better so that a number of overseas Filipino workers have been enticed to return home.

Employers offered better jobs this Labor Day, she added.

Business process outsourcing firms still accounted for the highest number of vacancies, followed by tourism and related industries, Baldoz said.          

Rowie Grande, of DOLE-National Capital Region, said many jobseekers lined up even before the job fairs opened at the SM-Mall of Asia in Pasay City.          

“As early as 6 a.m., there were already a handful of job applicants and it went up to about a thousand when we opened at 10 a.m.,” she said.

A majority of the applicants were young and new college graduates who expressed willingness to apply for whatever positions were available, Grande said.         

Many of the job applicants are already employed, but are looking for better employment.         

Marylyn Alcera, 22, said she had completed a two-year course in 2011 and went to work in the school where she had graduated. 

Along with two other friends, Alcera decided to apply for other jobs being offered in the Labor Day job fair.         

Alcera said she was immediately hired as sales clerk, but her two companions went home disappointed as they failed to land jobs.           

Marlon Andaya, 30, was among those who got turned down because the position he was applying for has an age bracket.       

“I completed a two-year computer course, but I am now working as a cook,” he said. 

“I wanted an IT-related job, but I have been rejected several times because they say I am not qualified.”

Analyn Castro, 20, a high school graduate, will be working as part of the  production team of International Wiring Systems.

“I am glad that considering the number of applicants who came not only from Tarlac but from other provinces such as Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and Bataan, I was chosen, right here, was hired on the spot,” she said.  

DOLE reported that 1,132 applicants were hired on the spot during the pre-Labor Day job fair in Tarlac, which President Aquino visited the other day.       

Baldoz said applying and successfully landing a job usually takes several days. 

“It is strenuous for the applicants and especially for sensitive and selective employers who need competent and skilled individuals to fill their vacancies,” she said. “At DOLE job fairs, we bring them together, making the recruitment process easier for both parties.”

President Aquino made the rounds in various booths installed at St. Michael’s Park in Camp Sevillano Aquino, San Miguel in Tarlac City to check out the job postings. 

For the one-day fair, a total of 40,874 postings were made available to the applicants by 70 local employers and 50 overseas recruitment agencies. 

DOLE regional information officer Jerry Borja said the newly hired accounted for 32 percent of the 3,475 applicants who registered for the fair. 

“Positions filled up included customer service representatives, sales clerks, waiters, production workers and factory workers,” he said. 

A total of 66 companies took part in the pre-Labor Day fair, of which 41 were Philippine-based while 25 were foreign-based.   

More work for Congress

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday Congress still has more work to do in improving the lives of ordinary workers. He called for closer cooperation between government and labor to promote growth.

Labor Day is an opportune time to reach out to Filipino  workers here and abroad, he added.

Belmonte said Filipino workers recognized globally for their high quality of work have greatly contributed to the growth of the economy. 

“For the sweat and sacrifice you have given which we all recognize as the heart and foundation of this country,” he said.

Belmonte said lawmakers have endeavored to look long and hard at the plight of workers here  and those who have had to work overseas to afford a better life for their families. – Mayen Jaymalin, Delon Porcalla, Paolo Romero, Ding Cervantes