LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) — A total of 64 Ilokano job seekers were successfully hired on-the-spot (HOTS) during a jobs fair at the Robinsons Place Ilocos in San Nicolas town on Sept. 13, coinciding with the birthday celebration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
The event, organized by the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), aimed to provide employment opportunities to jobseekers as part of the nationwide initiative “Handog ng Pangulo: Serbisyong Sapat para sa Lahat,” which seeks to deliver government assistance across all provinces.
With 236 jobseekers in attendance, the fair featured 28 participating employers, including 26 local and two overseas companies, offering a combined total of 2,836 job vacancies.
The local employers offered 1,506 job vacancies, while overseas employers opened 1,330 opportunities.
Local recruiters opened various job opportunities in medical, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), clerical and administrative work, online teaching, grocery personnel, web development, and retail sectors.
Meanwhile, overseas employers opened job opportunities in Japan and Kuwait for agriculture, construction, and medical jobs specifically for nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists.
Some of the specific jobs secured by attendees included admin staff, baggers, baristas, brand promoters, cashiers, clerks, and control support.
One of the jobseekers is 24-year-old Kytline Corpuz from Solsona town, who applied for a job opportunity overseas.
“I am so thankful for this program because it gives us the opportunity to secure jobs in this competitive market, especially because during this job fair we have opportunities to apply for overseas jobs,” she said.
For Ethel Sebastian, a resident of San Nicolas town, the job fair was a great opportunity for her to secure a job as she is a fresh graduate.
“As fresh graduates, we are expected to look for a job. We saw the advertisement online, and we thought it would be a good opportunity for us, fresh graduates, to find a job. I would like to say thank you to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for bringing this opportunity for us,” she said.
Both Corpuz and Sebastian are hoping to secure the vacancies they applied for during the job fair.
Moreover, Jamie Pascual, Human Resources (HR) Associate of ENZ Education Consultancy Services, one of the local employers said that the job fair gave the company advantage in their search for new employees to fill their vacancies.
“A total of 10 qualified jobseekers passed their resumes and we are currently reviewing them. We’re grateful to the president, to our provincial government, and to DOLE for facilitating the job fair. It helps us to gather leads, especially now that it’s harder to hire. Through this, looking for candidates was made easier,” she said.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Pag-IBIG Fund, PhilHealth, Social Security System (SSS), and Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) also joined the job fair to bring services to jobseekers through a government one-stop-shop. (AMB/MJTAB/EJFG PIA Ilocos Norte)
