Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26)— Over 70,000 jobs are up for grabs as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is set to roll out various fairs in the country to mark the 121st Labor Day on May 1.
As of Wednesday, DOLE said around 74,000 job vacancies will be offered in 40 job fair sites around the country, where over 700 employers are expected to participate.
“Gusto namin sa vacancies na existing sana malaki ‘yung hired on the spot. Kasi pupunta nalang sila roon may pre-screening, kaunting interview at makakadagdag sa bilang na on the spot na na-hire doon kami magiging masaya,” said Labor Secretary Benny Laguesma in a press briefing.
[Translation: For the existing vacancies, we would want to have more of those hired on the spot. Because they’ll go there for pre-screening, some interview. We’ll be glad if there will be on-the-spot hiring.]
The top vacancies are for customer service representatives, production workers or operators, financial consultants, service crew, and sales agents or salesclerks.
“The number of vacancies is expected to increase in the succeeding days,” the department said in a separate statement.
The Labor Day event will kick off at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City on April 30 where over 12,000 jobs will be offered.
Most if not all the job fair events will be held in malls to make sure jobseekers will not suffer from heat exhaustion.
The following will be the sites for the upcoming job fairs organized by DOLE:
National Capital Region – SM Grand Central (Caloocan City); QC Quadrangle (Quezon City); SM BF Parañaque (Paranaque City); SM Sucat (Parañaque City); SM Southmall (Las Piñas); Robinsons Place Las Piñas; Vista Mall Taguig; SM City Marikina (Marikina City); San Andres Gym (City of Manila).
Cordillera Administrative Region – SM Baguio; Baguio Convention Center
Ilocos Region – Provincial Livelihood Development Center, Vigan, llocos Sur; PESO Multipurpose Hall, Lingayen, Pangasinan; Orbos Gym, Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan; Magic Mall, Urdaneta City, Pangasinan; Cagayan Valley Region – SM City Tuguegarao; Robinsons Place Santiago; Reina Mercedes Municipal C Mercedes, Isabela
Central Luzon – SM City Marilao, Bulacan; SM City Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija; SM City Pampanga, San Fernando City, Pampanga; SM City Olongapo Central; SM City San Jose Del Monte
CALABARZON – Ynares Center, Antipolo City, Rizal
MIMAROPA – City Mall, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro; Bicol Region – Ayala Malls Legazpi
Western Visayas – Robinsons Iloilo
Central Visayas – Robinsons Galleria Cebu;
Lamberto Macias Sports Complex, Dumaguete City
Negros Oriental Eastern Visayas – Tacloban Convention Center
Zamboanga Peninsula – KCC Mall de Zamboanga Northern Mindanao – SM CDO Downtown Premier
Davao Region – SM City Davao; Provincial Capitol Gymnasium of Davao Oriental, Mati City, Davao Oriental
SOCCSKSARGEN – Kidapawan City Gymnasium, Kidapawan City Caraga – Almont Inland Hotel, Butuan
The agency also urges jobseekers to be ready with the following application requirements: curriculum vitae, certificate of employment for those formerly employed, diploma, and transcript of records.
No ‘wage hike’ announcement on May 1
The Labor chief also said that there could be no major wage hike announcement on May 1 as traditionally practiced in the past.
Laguesma said that since the 1990s and with the creation of the “Wage Rationalization Act,” regional wage boards have varying mechanisms to assess the petitions.
Addressing bills pushing for across-the-board wage increases, he noted they can only provide technical assistance, but that the decision will be up to lawmakers.
