Over 50,000 local jobs available – DOLE

MANILA, Philippines – Fresh college graduates will have jobs to look forward to as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced yesterday the availability of over 50,000 local jobs.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said DOLE’s Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) has already recorded some 50,897 job vacancies for new graduates and other job seekers.

“There are currently more than 50,000 job vacancies of various categories available in our Phil-jobnet system,” Roque disclosed.

The DOLE’s Phil-jobnet system is a convenient, readily available job search service on the Internet.

Roque said job placements are posted at www.phil-job.net or at www.dole.gov.ph and is accessible 24 hours, seven days a week.

Among the top 10 job vacancies listed in the phil-job.net website are nurses, call center agents, domestic helpers, information technology specialists, salesladies, factory workers, salesmen, dump truck drivers and waiters.

There are also Phil-jobnet workstations available nationwide in the country’s Public Employment Service Offices (PESO) network in various LGUs where Internet service is available.

BLE has so far recorded a total of 73,082 jobseekers in its employment service system.

Meanwhile, Roque belied allegations that the government’s employment programs, including the holding of job fairs, are just gimmicks.

Roque said job fairs are crucial in helping employers find appropriate skills they need and facilitate as well the placement of workers in need of jobs.

In fact, Roque said job fairs helped the government facilitate the employment of 1.34 million people in 2008.

He said job fairs are useful as indicated by employers who participate in fairs and interview jobseekers every year.

A total of 1,032 job fairs were conducted nationwide between January and November last year with the participation of hundreds of employers who posted more than a million vacancies in these fairs.

Roque, however, admitted that not all vacancies posted in job fairs are filled on the spot as participating employers usually take their time in selecting the most qualified applicants.

“Selection may start with an initial interview of applicants as the fair is going on, but the recruitment of selected applicants usually takes place at the company level where management makes the final choice out of initial interviews and resumés of jobseekers gathered during a job fair,” he explained.

Job fairs, Roque said, serve as venues where employers can find appropriate skills and this explains why many of them participate on a regular basis.

Roque said skills mismatch also hampers the immediate employment of job applicants, many of whom lack the skills and qualifications required by participating employers.

But Roque said the government is undertaking livelihood and skills training assistance services to provide workers with alternatives to employment. – Mayen Jaymalin, Philippine Star