Clark Freeport firms recover from global crisis

CLARK FREEPORT: The worldwide financial stress may have taken its toll inside the Freeport, especially on the number of workers, which declined by close to 3,000—from 57,790 in December 2008 to 54,829 workers in April 2009.

However, because of the sound economic agenda instituted by the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) management and the support that the state-owned firm extended to the various crisis-affected firms, most of the Clark firms are slowly recovering from the economic meltdown.

In the reports submitted by the Customer Service Department (CSD) to CDC President Benigno Ricafort on November 30 last year, Clark was able to breach the more than 57,000 mark since the crisis left almost 3,000 jobless in April 2009.

The Customer Service Department also reported to Ricafort that as of November 30 there are a total of 57,023 workers in Clark, which increased by 2,194 when the employment records fell to 54,829 workers in April.

On December 31, 2008, Customer Service Department record an all time high employment record of 57,790 workers but made a sharp decrease after the crisis hit the exporting and manufacturing industries operating inside the Freeport zone during the second quarter of last year.

Clark Development Corp. Public Relations Department Manager Angelo Lopez Jr. said the increase is an indication of continued economic recovery and growth, including the entry of new projects signed last year.

He is also optimistic that the December 2008 employment could be overtaken because of the opening of many firms that have signed lease agreements with CDC and in other industrial parks in Clark.

The expected upsurge in the number of workers is expected to realize once Texas Instrument is fully operational this year. The US-based semi conductor firm is expected to generate more than 3,000 direct jobs.

Lopez said that CDC is also optimistic that 60,000 workers would be achieved this year following the incorporation of the CDC Next Frontier project, which is now enticing many tourism-related and other industrial projects. This will be on top of the new projects and the expansion of several locators inside the main zone, including the Texas Instrument’s full operations.

The expansion programs of several firms and entry of more firms here are expected to boost further the employment generation in the coming months, especially manufacturing and several business process outsourcing firms, Lopez said.

There are a total of 439 firms that have signed lease agreements in Clark of which 418 are registered locators reporting employment, the CSD reports stated.

CDC’s thrust is anchored in the vision of President Gloria Arroyo to make Clark as Central Luzon’s employment capital and contribute to generation of new workers to improve the economic growth of the country.

CSD also informed Ricafort that the biggest contributor of jobs here are the various industrial sector which includes the garment, electronic, furniture and other crafts, and other manufacturing firms, tourism, and BPO contributing more than 50,385 workers.

There are 107 firms which are service-related, 115 firms from the industrial sector such as the electronics, furniture and crafts, manufacturing and garments, 28 on commercial, 21 in aviation, 16 in tourism, 31 in BPO/IT, eight in utility and four in housing. –MARK ROXAS CORRESPONDENT, Manila Times