More than 21,000 local and overseas employment opportunities will be up for grabs as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region III holds simultaneous "Trabaho Agad" job fairs across Central Luzon on September 14.
The regionwide initiative aims to decentralize employment services and bring income-generating opportunities directly to unemployed workers.
The event is part of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Handog ng Pangulo program, carrying the theme "Serbisyong Sapat, Para sa Lahat."
According to DOLE-3, organizers have gathered 16,702 local job vacancies and 4,685 overseas positions from 131 local employers and 20 overseas recruitment agencies as of September 9.
The said figures are expected to increase as more companies register ahead of the event, the agency added.
Eight venues have been designated across the region, beginning with a pre-Handog ng Pangulo job fair in Bulacan at the Bulacan Provincial Gymnasium, Provincial Capitol, City of Malolos on September 13.
The simultaneous events will take place at the Dipaculao Sport Center in North Poblacion, Dipaculao, Aurora; The Bunker Building in Balanga City, Bataan; Waltermart Talavera in Talavera, Nueva Ecija; Robinsons Angeles in Balibago, Angeles City, Pampanga; Tarlac City Plazuela Hall in Tarlac City, Tarlac; SM City Olongapo Central in Olongapo City, Zambales; and the Botolan People’s Plaza in Brgy. Tampo, Botolan, Zambales.
DOLE said manufacturing, business process outsourcing (BPO), and service sectors account for the bulk of available openings.
The agency added that in-demand local roles include production operators, customer service representatives, quality assurance inspectors, and machine operators, while overseas employers are seeking carpenters, sewers, caregivers, food processing workers, and construction laborers.
Gates across all venues will open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jobseekers are advised to bring multiple copies of their resumes, valid identification cards, and relevant employment credentials to expedite the application process.
Alongside recruitment drives, the sites will host frontline desks from key government agencies, including the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Pag-IBIG Fund, Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
The simultaneous events will also feature payouts under the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) and the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program, alongside livelihood grant distributions.
