ILOILO City – One hundred three applicants were hired on the spot in the job fair at the Iloilo provincial capitol.
The Job Exposition 2018 on Friday attracted 4,762 job seekers, according to the provincial government’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO).
They included residents from Iloilo and other provinces in the region looking for local or overseas employment, said PESO manager Francisco Heler Jr.
Aside from applicants hired on the spot, 2,144 got “nearly hired” for local jobs and 944 for overseas work.
A total of 37,759 job vacancies were up for grabs at the Job Expo.
Nearly hired applicants are those who have yet to submit several requirements before they can be fully hired, Heler explained.
While the number of job fair applicants rose from 4,007 during the 2017 Job Expo, the number of applicants hired on the spot dropped from over 300 last year, the PESO noted.
Among the factors that may have led to the rise in the number of job seekers are the closure of Boracay Island and the graduation of the first batch of high school students under the K-12 program, said Heler.
The PESO manage also gave credit to their information campaign and the support of the press.
Moreover, that most participating companies required from its applicants a final interview with their top officials may have contributed to the drop in the number of job seekers hired on the spot, he added.
A total of 148 companies joined this year’s Job Expo that had the theme “Trabaho, Negosyo at Kabuhayan sa Agrikultura at Turismo.”
They included 109 local companies, 12 business process outsourcing companies and 27 recruitment agencies.
Among the jobs available at the Job Expo were for call center agents, teachers, sales agents, nurses, physical therapists, medical technologists, doctors, pharmacists, carpenters, welders, engineers (mechanical, civil and electrical), drivers, technicians (electrical, mechanical or air-con), information technology technicians, and computer operators/maintenance.
Special lanes were provided for persons with disabilities, solo parents, indigenous peoples, and beneficiaries of the Sustainable Livelihood Program and the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The following local governments provided applicants from their area free transport to the capitol job fair: Alimodian, Anilao, Barotac Viejo, Cabatuan, Concepcion, Igbaras, Janiuay, Lambunao, Leon, Maasin, Miagao, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, Tubungan, and Zarraga./PN
