259 hired on the spot in Labor Day job fairs

Local

A TOTAL of 939 job seekers registered in simultaneous Labor Day job fairs across Dumaguete City, Cebu, and Bohol on Wednesday, May 1, with 259 of them hired on the spot, according to the Department of Labor and Employment-Central Visayas (DOLE-7).

Of those hired, 124 were male and 135 were female. DOLE-7 also reported that among the 939 registered applicants, 439 were male, while 500 were female.

The May 1 job fairs were part of DOLE’s nationwide initiative to provide immediate employment opportunities to Filipino workers.

In Central Visayas, the main event was held at SM Seaside City Cebu from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., spearheaded by DOLE-7 in partnership with Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) and private recruitment agencies.

In a press briefing held ahead of the job fair, DOLE-7 Regional Director Atty. Roy Buenafe said more than 4,000 local and overseas job vacancies had been submitted to their office for the Labor Day event.

Buenafe said the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry continued to dominate the local employment sector, followed by the retail and service industries.

“For local employment, the BPO sector remains strong. For overseas, we are seeing continued demand for nurses,” he said.

As of April 25, DOLE-7 recorded at least 43 local employers confirming their participation in the Cebu job fair. More than 1,000 job seekers had pre-registered for the event.

The agency also noted rising interest in overseas recruitment.

According to Luchel Senarlo-Taniza, supervising labor and employment officer of the Department of Migrant Workers-Central Visayas, seven private recruitment agencies (PRAs) from Bohol and Negros Oriental submitted entries for the job fair.

Job openings for overseas employment spanned various countries, including Japan, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Germany, the British Virgin Islands, and Taiwan.

The regional job fair formed part of DOLE’s broader employment campaign this year. In 2024, the agency reported that about 65,000 job seekers were hired on the spot across 1,800 job fairs nationwide, drawing over 400,000 applicants.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma earlier said the department is also working to align the country’s labor force with emerging employment sectors, such as the digital economy, information technology, healthcare and care work, and jobs under green and blue economy initiatives.

DOLE likewise assured the public of stricter safeguards in the implementation of its emergency employment programs, including the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD), ahead of the campaign period for the May 2025 midterm elections.

The department reiterated that only eligible beneficiaries—those identified through rigorous screening—will be allowed to avail of the program, which provides short-term employment for displaced or underemployed individuals.

TUPAD and eight other DOLE social service programs have been exempted by the Commission on Elections from the election spending ban to ensure continued assistance during the election period.(TGP)