BY: RACHELLE M. NESSIA
CEBU CITY, May 1 (PIA) --- Thousands of job seekers flocked to the four jobs fairs in Cebu City today marking the annual Labor Day celebration.
A total of 17,500 job vacancies are open for the job applicants in all four jobs fairs held in Cebu, with a total of 165 participating employers.
Of the total, 11,000 vacancies are for overseas while 6,000 are for local employment.
The four jobs fairs were held at SM Cebu City, SM Consolacion, Abellana Sports Complex, and Capitol.
The jobs fairs are important in helping address the unemployment problem especially in a booming city such as Cebu, according to Cebu City Councilor Sisinio Andales.
“Cebu City has a progressive and booming economy with many sprouting condos and hotels…nakahatag ni ug dakong importansya nato sa pagsulbad sa unemployment problem (this is an important help to us in solving the unemployment problem),” said Andales during a presscon held earlier this week.
High school graduate Marvin Masayon, 30, is one of those who showed up early at Capitol to try his luck in seeking employment.
A high school graduate, Marvin hopes to find a job in the production sector.
“This is my second jobs fair already, and I hope to get a job after this,” he said.
This is his second time to join a jobs fair undertaken by DOLE and he is grateful for the opportunity that it offers job seekers.
In Abellana Sports Center, job seekers Karen Roqueno, 29, and Madelin Arinas, 34, are both hoping to secure work abroad as massage therapists.
Karen and Madelin are no strangers to jobs fairs as they have joined jobs fairs in the past years.
They both agree that the jobs fairs are ideal for job applicants as it serves as a one-stop that makes job hunting easier.
Karen advised applicants not to give up easily when participating in jobs fairs.
“Pasensya lang gyud na taas ug pila ug bisan init (Have patience because the lines are long and it’s very hot,” she said.
The Labor Day celebration here kicked off with a Thanksgiving Mass and opening program at SM Cebu City attended by members of the local labor groups and Tripartite Industrial Peace Councils here.
Cebu City government is the host of this year’s Labor Day celebration here, said Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-7) Regional Director Chona Mantilla.
Eearlier, DOLE Sec. Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz announced that at least 115,384 vacancies from 1,985 employers are targeted to be filled up during Labor Day this year.
DOLE is holding simultaneously 65 job fairs nationwide today in 16 regions.
Records show that the labor department has rolled out 266 job fairs from January to March this year, attended by 81,859 job applicants.
Of the total applicants, 10,065 were hired on the spot by 2,665 establishments and employers.
In Cebu's Labor Day job fairs last year, Mantilla said more than 20,000 job seekers were hired, of which more than 5,000 were hired on the spot. (RMN/PIA Cebu)