Iloilo mega job fair draws 2,000, hires 51

By Mariela Angella Oladive

More than 10,000 local and overseas job opportunities were offered to Ilonggo job seekers during the Provincial Public Employment Service Office’s Mega Job Fair at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol on Thursday, July 16.

The one-day job fair brought together 74 local employers and 10 licensed overseas recruitment agencies with vacancies across a wide range of industries.

As of 2 p.m., PESO Iloilo had recorded more than 2,000 job seekers, with 51 applicants hired on the spot.

Provincial PESO manager Cynthia P. Dario described the event as a success.

Dario encouraged applicants to continue pursuing available employment opportunities and remain confident in their abilities as key contributors to Iloilo’s economic growth.

At least 12 local government units provided free transportation through the Libreng Sakay program to help applicants from outside Iloilo City attend the fair.

The program benefited 166 job seekers from various municipalities.

The job fair also accommodated six persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and four returning overseas Filipino workers seeking local employment.

Applicants accessed pre-employment services from 13 national government agencies.

The participating agencies were the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Migrant Workers, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Trade and Industry, National Bureau of Investigation, PhilHealth, Philippine National Police, Philippine Statistics Authority, Professional Regulation Commission, Social Security System, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

The Office of the Provincial Human Resource Management Officer also provided recruitment assistance.

Partner agencies offered free pre-employment services and massage therapy to participants.

Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. said the provincial government was complementing its employment initiatives by developing a technical-vocational hub to prepare students for emerging industries.

The planned hub will introduce senior high school and college students to artificial intelligence, 3D printing, and drone development to better align the province’s future workforce with changing industry demands. (Iloilo Provincial Government)

The provincial government has sought technical support from TESDA, the Department of Education, and Iloilo-based state universities and colleges for the project. (Iloilo Provincial Government)

The Department of Labor and Employment regularly works with local governments through PESOs to conduct job fairs that connect applicants with employers and improve access to government services required for employment.

The headline was corrected because more than 2,000 people attended the fair, while 51 were hired on the spot.