30,000 jobs up at DOLE job fair

MANILA, Philippines – Up to 30,000 local and overseas jobs are up for grabs in the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)’s job fair today as part of the 112th Independence Day celebration.

But the state weather bureau advised jobseekers who will troop to the job fair at the Rizal Park to bring their umbrellas because rains are expected this afternoon.

Robert Sawi, senior weather forecaster of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), said warm and humid weather will prevail over Metro Manila in the morning but rains and thunderstorms are likely in the afternoon or evening.

Sawi also said no tropical cyclone is expected to affect the country in the next several days, although a monsoon trough will bring scattered rains and thunderstorms over extreme northern Luzon this weekend while the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rains and thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening.

DOLE-National Capital Region reported yesterday that 30 local employers and around 20 recruitment agencies will be offering employment opportunities to new graduates and other jobseekers during the whole-day event.

“Of the estimated 30,000 jobs available, 25,000 are vacancies in various countries while the rest are local (jobs),” a labor official said.

Some of the participating companies are engaged in business process outsourcing, information technology and other services.

Employment opportunities are also available for office personnel, engineers, banking employees and healthcare workers.

Labor officials said interested jobseekers may proceed to the job fair to be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lagoon Area of Rizal Park.

Similar job fairs will also be held today in several DOLE regional offices.

Last Labor Day, the government offered close to 300,000 local and overseas jobs, but only a few jobseekers turned up for the mega job fair.

DOLE said fewer jobs are being offered today because the government is only undertaking a mini job fair.

Unlike in the past, DOLE also did not initiate any pre-employment activity.

But DOLE said there will be free massage and haircut for jobseekers and other people who will go to Rizal Park to enjoy the Independence Day celebration. –Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star) with Helen Flores