Labor department: Close to 3 million jobs available in 2012

Thursday, January 12, 2012

THE labor department said about 2.8 million local and overseas jobs could be made available this year for the country's 2.8 million unemployed citizens.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said her agency is looking at the possibility of deploying about 1,329,346 land-based overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), which is a 6.8 percent increase from last year.

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The labor chief believes that there could be 350,527 deployments of sea-based OFWs this year, up by 2.2 percent.
 
"Using as basis the average growth rate for the past three years, there could be an increase of nine percent for the total deployment of both land-based and sea-based workers this year," said Baldoz.
 
Aside from the usual labor markets, she said new employment opportunities will also be opened in Taiwan, South Korea, and Australia.
 
On the other hand, the Department of Labor and Employment is also expecting to find jobs for some 1.2 million job seekers in different local employment opportunities.
 
"This will be achieved through the provision of a combination of employment facilitation services focused on poverty reduction and empowerment of the poor," Baldoz said.
 
Aside from the jobs to be made available by the Public Employment Service Offices, the labor chief said the agency is also projecting some two million jobs from various infrastructure projects.
 
Other local job vacancies include general electricians, dealers, merchandisers, service crews, general carpenters, welders, factory workers, cashiers, masons, office clerks, salesmen, plumbers, mechanical engineers, painters, waiters, and graphic designers. (AMN/Sunnex)