DOLE goes Tech-savvy in Helping Young Jobseekers

To the fresh graduates and other first time jobseekers who are about to join the job market, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has several package of information technology (IT)- based employment facilitation services that come in handy for today’s techie generation.

This was announced by Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz to the newly minted college graduates, adding that the DOLE has expanded the reach and accessibility of labor market information among the youth to make them be more job-ready.

“We assure the 656,284 graduates joining the labor force for the first time of a government employment facilitation assistance to help them find jobs and shorten their job search,” Baldoz said.

As one of the major job facilitation services, Secretary Baldoz said the enhanced PhilJobNet, the government’s official job portal, is now accessible through mobile phones using Android and IOS app. “It is also available free in Google Play Store. Just visit www.phil-job.net, and view the recent job vacancies posted by employers; match your skills with the qualifications, or if self-employed, advertise yourself as a skilled professional, all for free,” she added.

PhilJobnet is an automated job and applicant matching system, which aims to fast track jobseekers search for jobs, and employers search for applicants.

“Jobseekers can use the system to submit their applications, search job opportunities, run job matching process, and corresponding employers’ contact information. Employers on the other hand can post vacancies; search job applicants, run job-matching process, and get the list of applications and their corresponding information,” Baldoz said.

Secretary Baldoz also announced that the enhanced PhilJobnet has recorded a total of 533,853 users and 1,822,529 vacancies since it was launched on April 2014. “This March 2015, alone, it had a total of 82,244 posted vacancies,” she added.

Apart from the Internet-based PhilJobnet, there are 200 additional New Generation Job Search Kiosks deployed at DOLE Regional Offices, Commission on Higher Education Regional Offices and DepEd, including at DOLE-OSEC, Bureau of Local Employment, Labor Communications Office, National Reintegration Center for OFWs, TESDA, PRC, and National Wages and Productivity Commission. The kiosk can be used to access relevant information on job openings, hiring requirements of employers or upgrade, their skills thru the TESDA programs and Bureau of Local Employment career guides.

Secretary Baldoz also informed that the DOLE has signed up partnership agreements with other web-based job search companies to widen the young jobseekers’ access to employment opportunities such as the Career Hub, JobStreet, JobsDB, and Hallo Hallo Job, which are all linked to the PhilJobNet.

“These are reliable Internet-based job search companies used by big local and international employers in announcing their employment opportunities,” she said.

The DOLE Secretary also informed that the Bureau of Local Employment has developed career guidance materials, such Career Guide Series on Hard to Fill and Highly in-Demand Occupations, and Employment Guide for College Students and Job Seekers. “These can be accessed and downloaded at www.ble.dole.gov.ph,” she said.

Baldoz also encouraged the young jobseekers to access in Youtube the DOLE Labor and Employment Education Services (LEES) learning videos to enhance their career building opportunities.

“Just type the www.youtube.com/user/dolelees/feed in the Internet, or in the search engines, such as Google, to access the learning videos. Specifically, you can learn from these package of employment guides, such as how and what to prepare when applying for a job.”

The labor and employment chief said that the young generation today is now known as “millennials” because they are career-minded young people who grew up in an age of high-performance computers, Smartphones, and tablets.

“As such, aware of this Millennial Generation’s inclination to social media and digital technology, the DOLE has tapped the power of ICT to address the job search need and guide the youth in building their career path,” Baldoz said.

The Department of Labor and Employment also regularly conducts Jobs Fair as one employment facilitation strategy to fast-track the meeting of jobseekers and employers/overseas recruitment agencies in one venue at a specific date to reduce cost, time and effort particularly on the part of the applicants.

During the Jobs Fair, applicants select vacancies suited to their qualifications and employers could interview and hire on the spot qualified workers.

“This January to March 2015, we had a total of 112 job fairs in various parts of the country. From April to December 2015, we have scheduled a total of 296 job fairs nationwide. And so to our graduates, you can check the schedule and venue of the job fairs at www.phil-jobnet.dole.ph/Schedule.aspx or from your respective Public Employment Service Offices (PESO), colleges/universities, and the DOLE regional or provincial offices,” Baldoz further informed.

Source: www.dole.gov.ph