GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/10 June) – A total of 8,261 job vacancies are at stake in the Independence Day or “Kalayaan” job and business fairs here on Wednesday, June 12, spearheaded by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-Region 12.
Sisinio Cano, DOLE-12 regional director, said Monday a total of 85 employers and recruitment agencies have signified to join the annual fair, which will be held at the Trade Hall I of the SM mall.
He said 65 of these are local companies and business establishments and 15 are overseas job placement agencies.
These employers have so far registered a total of 5,472 local job vacancies and 2,789 for overseas deployment, he said.
“The online registration for participating employers is still ongoing so we expect some changes in the actual figures by Wednesday,” Cano said in a press conference.
The official said the available overseas vacancies are mostly for professional and skilled workers such as nurses, teachers, cleaners, cooks and mechanics.
He said they discouraged the participating placement agencies from offering vacancies for household service workers due to the numerous problems received by the agency, especially with those deployed in the Middle East.
Cano said the lined up overseas job vacancies are all validated while the recruitment agencies are accredited with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.
For the local job vacancies, he said most of the available slots are for services workers, plantation workers and sales personnel.
During the event, he said their attached and partner agencies will offer a range of services to job seekers and other interested residents.
These include the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Professional Regulation Commission, Pagibig Fund, Philippine Statistics Authority, Social Security System and the National Bureau of Investigation.
Cano said DTI, in partnership with OWWA, will open a Negosyo Center booth and conduct learning sessions for Overseas Filipino Workers.
He said TESDA will offer skills demonstrations and free services for haircut, manicure/pedicure and massage.
The official added that they will also release around P2 million in livelihood grants to informal and marginalized workers. (MindaNews)