4,000 jobs up for grabs at DOLE-6 job fair

By Mariela Angella Oladive

More than 4,000 local and overseas job vacancies will be available at a one-day job fair on Friday, Dec. 5, in celebration of the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) 92nd anniversary on Dec. 8.

Themed “Tatak DOLE sa Bagong Pilipinas: Serbisyong Tapat, Nararapat para sa Lahat,” the job fair will be held at the VIP Lounge of Festive Mall in Mandurriao, Iloilo City.

In a Dec. 2 press conference, DOLE Western Visayas (DOLE-6) Assistant Regional Director Melisa Navarra said the event will feature 54 local employers offering 2,729 job openings and four overseas employers offering 1,288 positions.

“This is on top of the online applications available through the Department of Migrant Workers. You may visit the area during mall hours. Hopefully, some of you will be hired on the spot. Good luck, and see you,” Navarra said.

As of the latest count, 293 applicants have pre-registered for the fair, according to DOLE-6.

Navarra noted that most applicants usually register on-site during the event.

A one-stop shop of 10 partner agencies will be available to assist job seekers, including first-time applicants who need help securing licenses and other requirements.

DOLE personnel will also be on standby to guide applicants — especially those hired on the spot — in obtaining necessary documentation.

During the fair, the agency will release PHP 12.5 million in aid to support 400 informal sector workers in Iloilo.

Across the region, PHP 16.6 million will be distributed to 501 beneficiaries under the Integrated Livelihood Program and the Adjustment Measure Program.

An additional PHP 306,000 will be granted to 74 student-beneficiaries under the Special Program for Employment of Students in Antique and Capiz.

The job fair is part of a series of pre-anniversary activities that include events in Roxas City on Dec. 4, Antique on Dec. 5, and Batad, Iloilo on Dec. 9, following a similar event in Oton, Iloilo on Nov. 27.

From Nov. 28 to Dec. 8, DOLE will also release payouts to 22,730 workers under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced (TUPAD) cash-for-work program, with a total allocation of more than PHP 126.2 million.

DOLE has also partnered with the Department of Agriculture to stage the Kadiwa ng Pangulo and Livelihood Fair in various locations across the region.