IN LINE with the Labor Day celebration, a total of 122 applicants, most of which for local employment, were hired on the spot as of 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, during the Department of Labor and Employment’s (Dole) Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan Job and Business Fairs at Gaisano Mall of Davao in Davao City.
This year, Dole partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Davao to integrate the job fair, business opportunities, and livelihood assistance.
A total of 7,983 job vacancies were made available; 4,682 coming from 20 overseas employers, while 3,301 local job vacancies were offered by 50 participating employers.
Carpentry has the highest number of job vacancies during the job fair with 1,452 slots, followed by masonry with 192 and production crew with 173.
Nursing job has the highest number of job vacancies for overseas with 1,276 slots, followed by cleaners with 591 and teacher assistants with 267.
Dole-Davao Assistant Director Jason Balais said job vacancies were downsized this year due to the venue's limited space.
In 2018, 87 employers participated in the fair with 60 local employers and 27 overseas employers. A total of 12,532 job vacancies were also offered with 6,216 from local and 6,316 from overseas.
"Ang National Government, through the current leadership, invested on infrastructure through the 'Build, Build, Build' Program, maong in demand kaayo ang construction-related na trabaho this year (that is why construction-related jobs are in demand)," Balais said.
He said job fairs like these could fill in the lack of manpower in the government's infrastructure projects.
Recently, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) announced its scholarship for infrastructure-related courses, such as masonry, welding, plumbing, tile setting and carpentry. Tesda is targeting 2,300 scholars to enroll this year.
"Hopefully, mahabol sa ato production side like many of the trainings should gear towards technical skills in construction, otherwise basin magka-shortage ta sa workers kung dili na ma-address immediately (Hopefully, the training of workers will catch up. Trainings should be geared towards skills in construction, otherwise there will be a shortage)," Balais said.
Meanwhile, for overseas, countries in the Middle East are the ones in demand.
As of 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, Dole-Davao recorded about 1,667 registered applicants, with 1,203 of these for local employment and 464 for overseas employment.
A total of 691 applicants were qualified for the positions they applied for, 263 of these for overseas employment and 428 for local employment.
Lora Mae, 23, took advantage of the job fair since she recently resigned from her previous job as a sales representative.
Being a first-timer in joining job fairs, she hopes her previous employment record would give her an edge to employers, both local and overseas, as she is applying for the position of office staff and other sales-related positions.
"I want to apply in sales related positions, since naa sa sales ang money, especially kung naa ka madawat na commissions and incentives, aside sa basic pay," said Lora Mae, a Communication Arts graduate.
Meanwhile, Romeo Jelloani, 45, travelled from Panabo City to try his luck in masonry overseas.
Jelloani previously worked as a mason at Saudi Arabia in 2014 for almost two years.
At present, he is working at a local masonry and he hopes to be hired and work again abroad to finance his two children's tertiary education.