Region’s unemployment stands at 4.4 percent
TACLOBAN CITY- About 9,700 new jobs opportunities are up for grabs, ready to be filled up by those in need of employment from the region.
This was disclosed by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as it readies activities related to the 117th Labor Day on May 1.
Yahya Centi, labor regional director, said in a press conference that about 44 agencies have signed up for the jobs fair to be conducted during the Labor Day celebration to be held at the Tacloban Convention Center or astrodome.
According to him, of this number of participating agencies, 32 are for local employment while the remaining 12 are for overseas employment.
Centi, however, said that of the 7,265 jobs available during the jobs fair, 6,065 are for overseas deployment like Saudi Arabia and Australia, among others.
The DOLE regional director added that another jobs fair will also be held in Ormoc City where 2,504 vacancies are also available to be participated by 19 business establishments.
The holding of the jobs fair, he said, will help address the region’s problem on unemployment which is at 4.2 percent.
Centi said that based on experience in the past jobs fair, about 15 to 30 percent are hired on the spot.
It’s because, he said, the skills or experiences of those who are hunting for jobs does not fit to the requirements needed or failed to bring needed documents.
Thus, their office has conducted its pre-registration to ensure that those who will proceed to the jobs fair have all the needed requirements or documents, Centi said.
Meantime, the DOLE regional director said that workers in the region have to wait perhaps until July if there will be an adjustment of the current wage order.
The current wage order, issued on June 25, 2018, pegged the daily minimum wage for agriculture workers at P275 while P305 for non-agriculture workers.
Centi said that they have started to review the current wage order by having a consultation which they started in Ormoc City last April 10.
“We have already started the public consultation which is necessary because we would like to look into the socio-economic indicators and the state of economy (of the region),” he said.
Among the indicators that they will consider during the public consultations are the increase of prices, and inflation rate, among others.
Centi, however, could not say yet as to how much the increase, if there will be, considering that they have only started the public consultation which they hope to finish before the current wage order as contained under Wage Order 20, expires on July 25.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
