GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/ 13 Nov) — Some 7,327 job seekers in Region 12 have gained “on-the-spot” employment in 37 job fairs facilitated by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in the area in the first three quarters of the year.
Ofelia Domingo, DOLE Region 12 director, said the hired workers comprise 43.39 percent of the 16,887 residents who participated in the job fairs, some in partnership with local government units (LGUs) in the region.
Region 12 (Southwestern Mindanao) comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.
Domingo said the 37 job fairs facilitated by the agency during the first nine months or as of the third quarter represent 97.37 percent of their target for the year.
Three more job fairs have been scheduled until the end of the year based on the five activities set by DOLE-12 for the last quarter.
For the month of September alone, she said five job fairs for both local and overseas employment were held in the region in coordination with their public and private partners.
The official said a total of 1,214 applicants were registered and 554 or 46 percent of them were hired on-the-spot by various employers.
Among the biggest job fairs staged in the past months in the region was the Labor Day series, which was held in this city and in the cities of Koronadal, Cotabato and Kidapawan.
Another major job fair was held on June 12 to highlight the country’s Independence Day celebration.
Domingo said a total of 9,182 youths or 98.73 percent of DOLE-12’s annual target were provided with “bridging employment assistance” in partnership with various LGUs and private employers.
In terms of labor market information, she said 27 LGUs in the region have already enrolled in its skills registry system under the fourth wave of implementation.
“The system mainly offers employment facilitation to individuals who are actively searching for decent work opportunities,” Domingo said.
She said they were able to provide information on occupation or job prospects, skills shortages and surpluses, labor market trends and signals as well as other labor market reports to 75,968 individuals and 598 institutions.
These accomplishments represent 174 and 148 percent, respectively, of their targets for the year, the official added. (MindaNews)