2M job openings seen this year from state agencies

THE Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) is looking at having almost two million job openings for this year after it secured the cooperation of different government agencies.

In a statement, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said between 1.2 million and 1.8 million new jobs are estimated to be generated by the government's Community-Based Employment Program (CBEP) this year alone.

"Most of the identified programs and projects are locally funded, while some are foreign assisted," said Baldoz.

She said there are 49 locally funded infrastructure programs/projects, 18 foreign-assisted infrastructure projects, and nine non-infra programs/projects.

Government agencies involved in the program include the departments of Agrarian Reform, Agriculture, Education, Energy, Health, Environment and Natural Resources, Interior and Local Governments, Public Works and Highways, Social Welfare and Development, Transportation and Communications, Justice, National Defense, Science and Technology, Trade and Industry, and Labor and Employment

Also participating are the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.

Baldoz said the job categories generated by the CBEP are mostly in the professional category, such as engineers, agriculturists, field researchers; skilled category, such as heavy equipment operators, carpenters, masons, steel men, welders; and unskilled category, such as laborers and construction helpers.

She added that there are also administrative and clerical jobs, administrative and finance support positions, and field and office aid works.

Baldoz said the would-be job openings is higher than the 1,099,559 offered in 2011 from 29 national government agencies.

Based on the most recent Dole-Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics data, Filipinos without jobs were found to be at 2.814 million in 2011. (AMN/Sunnex)