HUNDREDS of Dabawenyo job seekers flocked to the Kalayaan Job Fair at a shopping mall in Davao City on Independence Day, June 12.
Organized by the Department of Labor and Employment in Davao Region (DOLE-Davao), there were over 3,500 local and overseas job vacancies for individuals looking to get hired.
Jade Naig is one of the lucky applicants who was hired on the spot as a bagger for a supermarket. He shared that he applied because he could not continue his schooling due to financial constraints.
“Pasalamat ko sa Ginoo kay layo pa amoa pero naningkamot ko dire sa job fair. Wala pud nasayang akong hago (I’m grateful to the Lord because even though I live far away, I worked hard to be here and thankfully, my efforts did not go to waste),” he told SunStar Davao in an interview.
For some of the applicants, the application process at the Kalayaan Job Fair has been a smooth experience but others also said they lined up as early as 7:00 am.
Applicant Almarie Justino shared that the Kalayaan Job Fair is the first job fair she participated in. She hopes to land a job that is fit for her work experience as a former gasoline station attendant.
“In-demand man gud ang trabaho karon unya mahal pud kaayo ang mga palitonon. Kailangan gyod og trabaho so nag take gyod ko og risk na makaadto diri (Jobs are indemand right now. Food and goods are becoming expensive so I really need a job that’s why I risked to get here),” she said.
Another applicant, former overseas Filipino worker Darty Sarvida, is keen to work abroad again after he spent 12 years in Saudi Arabia as a waiter.
Based on the data provided by DOLE-Davao, there are at least 1,473 vacancies for overseas positions from four different employers.
Former overseas Filipino worker Darty Sarvida is one of the applicants hoping to get hired by an overseas employer. He said he is keen to work abroad again after he spent 12 years in Saudi Arabia as a waiter.
“Gusto ko waiter din or kahit anong position basta makalabas lang ako (Either waiter or any position as long as I can go abroad). Try ko mag overseas ulit kung papalarin. Pwede rin mag local pero mas gusto ko mag overseas dahil dati akong OFW (I want to go overseas again if given the opportunity. A local position is also fine but going overseas is better because I’m a former OFW),” he said.
As of 1:00 pm, June 12, DOLE-Davao data showed that 37 applicants were hired on the spot and 15 are near-hired applicants.
According to DOLE-Davao, the most in-demand positions for local employment are delivery drivers or riders, operations management trainees, service crew, cashiers, baggers, customer assistants, marketing professionals, property specialists, accounting staff, and marketing assistants. ICM