111 Thousand Jobseekers Hired at Job Fairs

Some 111,009 job seekers were hired through the job fairs conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) throughout the country in the last ten months, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III reported over the weekend.

“The conduct of job fairs is one of the department’s employment facilitation strategies to address unemployment and underemployment. Through these job fairs, we facilitate the meeting of employers and jobseekers, making their search easier and more convenient,” Bello said.

Citing a report from the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE), Bello said that 3,288,322 job vacancies were offered in the nationwide job fairs participated in by 65,474 employers and recruitment agencies.

Of the 437,247 applicants who registered in the nationwide job fairs, 223,428 were qualified for the positions offered by the employers and recruitment agencies. Of the qualified applicants, 111,009 successfully landed jobs. They were composed of those who were hired-on-the-spot (HOTS) and those who were placed after undergoing the hiring process of employers and placement agencies.

The number of regional job fairs conducted in 2016 and the corresponding number of applicants hired are as follows:

• Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)–15,408 applicants hired in 21 job fairs;
• NCR–27,757 applicants hired in 204 job fairs; Ilocos Region–3,343 applicants hired in 81 job fairs;
• Cagayan Valley Region–2,029 applicants hired in 47 job fairs;
• Central Luzon–9,843 applicants hired in 98 job fairs;
• CALABARZON–33,759 applicants hired in 365 job fairs;
• MIMAROPA–113 applicants hired in 10 job fairs;
• Bicol Region–1,142 applicants hired in 48 job fairs;
• Negros Island Region–459 applicants hired in 37 job fairs;
• Western Visayas–158 applicants hired in 43 job fairs;
• Central Visayas–5,026 applicants hired in 50 job fairs;
• Eastern Visayas–1,011 applicants hired in 17 job fairs;
• Zamboanga Peninsula – 571 applicants hired in 19 job fairs;
• Northern Mindanao–3,143 applicants hired in 32 job fairs;
• Davao Region–2,266 applicants hired in 75 job fairs;
• SOCCSKSARGEN–3,683 applicants hired in 56 job fairs; and
• CARAGA–1,298 applicants hired in 33 job fairs.

These job fairs also bring a one-stop-shop of government services to help job applicants secure the necessary pre-employment documents.

Among its partner agencies include the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Social Security System (SSS), National Statistics Office (NSO), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Pag-Ibig and PhilHealth. (DOLE)