MECO to step up direct hiring of Pinoys in Taiwan

MANILA, Philippines – The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei, with the support of Taiwan’s Council of Labor Affairs (CLA), will strengthen its direct hiring program for Filipinos during the Philippine Independence Day celebration today following the holding of successful job fairs in the key cities of Taiwan.

The whole-day event will be held at the Taoyuan Stadium in northern Taiwan.

The CLA will be occupying a booth at the festival venue. Knowledgeable staff will be on hand to answer all of the OFWs’ queries on the special hiring program.

“The job fairs that we held in recent weeks received great support from the recruitment and business communities. The positive response from our fellow OFWs was also immediate,” said MECO managing director and resident representative Antonio Basilio.

Despite the slowing economy, Basilio said companies are still looking for qualified talent, and Filipinos are among the most experienced, skilled and highly-educated workers.

MECO has been aggressively marketing the special hiring facility among Taiwanese employers and skilled workers.

The facility, also known as “direct hiring” and “name hiring,” allows Taiwanese employers to recruit Filipino workers without going through manpower agencies and recruitment firms.

Last month, MECO spearheaded a JOBapalooza or career fair at the Philippine Ugnayan Migrant and Immigrant Center in Taipei.

The fair, the first of its kind organized by MECO, was supported by Philippine and Taiwanese manpower agencies.

The Federation of Filipino Communities in Taiwan lauded MECO for launching a meaningful initiative that helped connect talent with job opportunities.

JOBapalooza provided OFWs with an efficient way to make contacts, learn more about specific careers and industries and speak directly with career experts and recruiters instead of simply submitting their resumes online.

Nine manpower agencies, three from the Philippines and six from Taiwan, signed up for the event.

Out of the 330 OFWs who submitted their job applications, 66 were hired on the spot, said MECO’s director for labor affairs Rodolfo Sabulao.

Sabulao said another 218 OFWs were found to be qualified for some jobs but lacked the necessary documents to have their applications processed. Forty-six job applicants needed to undergo another round of interviews.

The labor official said several OFWs expressed their preference for Canada as their next overseas destination, with 58 percent of the applicants saying they were looking for employment opportunities there.

Another 10 percent said they wanted to find jobs in the Middle East while close to eight percent of the applicants singled out New Zealand and Australia as their next preferred employment destinations. – Pia Lee-Brago, Philippine Star