ZAMBOANGA CITY – “It’s very delightful na nakakuha po ako agad ng job sa first try ko dito sa job fair.”

This was Benjiemar Maadil’s answer when asked about his experience during the Malayang Trabaho Job Fair of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 9 held on Independence Day, June 12, 2023, at KCC Mall de Zamboanga in Zamboanga City.

Maadil, a resident of Campaner Street, Barangay Zone II, was hired-on-the-spot as a lifeguard for a local hotel in the City.

He added, “Magandang opportunity po ito para sa mga Filipino na makahanap ng trabaho on the spot. Yun po ang advantage nito. (This is a great opportunity for Filipinos to find a job on the spot. That’s the advantage [of job fairs].”

DOLE 9 Regional Director Albert E. Gutib, in an interview, shared that the whole day job fair welcomed 756 jobseekers who registered through the Job Fair Manager, an online system designed by the office.

“With a total of 4,055 job vacancies from 44 local and overseas employers, 68 jobseekers were hired-on-the-spot while 24 applicants were considered near-hires. They will be further interviewed in the coming days,” Gutib said.

Near hires are jobseekers who are considered hired but may need to submit additional requirements, documents, or must undergo further tests or interviews.

Among the positions filled by HOTS jobseekers are the following: Merchandiser, Lifeguard, Call Center Agent, Customer Service Representative, Retort Operator, Scaler, Cashier, Counter Checker, Bagger, Service Crew, Cinema Projectionist, Fish Slicer, Stockman.

“We’re also very thankful to our city-based guidance counselors, Job Placement Officers and Public Employment Service Office managers who volunteered to man the employment coaching desk. They were able to coach 687 jobseekers and increased these individuals’ chances of getting hired,” Gutib added.

In addition to applying for jobs, 150 jobseekers were also provided assistance on programs and services of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), 42 were provided assistance on DOLE’s livelihood program and 15 were presented with entrepreneurship development opportunities by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Aside from the job fair, government agencies offered their services to 206 walk-in clients at the One-Stop-Shop Services booth such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), PHILPOST, Social Security System (SSS), PHILHEALTH, PAG-IBIG, Philippine Business for Education (PBED), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC), Employees Compensation Commission (ECC), National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) and Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB).

Present during the Malayang Trabaho Job Fair opening program were Zamboanga City Mayor John M. Dalipe, Vice Mayor Josephine Pareja, Councilor Jerome Santos and Keynote Speaker, Councilor Al Jihan Edding, Chairperson ng Committee on Women, Children and Family Welfare. END