Thousands flock to job fairs in Cebu
By CARINE M. ASUTILLA, ABS-CBN News Central Visayas | 02/01/2009 10:47 PM
Two overseas and local jobs fair were initiated in Cebu by local government units (LGUs) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and in cooperation with ABS-CBN Cebu.
The job fairs were launched mainly to assist those who have lost their jobs as an effect of the global crisis.
About five thousand applicants came to Lilo-an Gym and Lapu-Lapu City Hall for the job fairs while 95 local and overseas employers participated.
The applicants were graduates of training and vocational courses but most of them recently lost their jobs after several export companies decided to close down.
For local jobs, most of the applicants lined up for manpower agencies looking for production workers, and other job vacancies that would accept non-college level applicants.
For overseas, jobs as welders, drivers and technicians in Saudi Arabia and Abu-Dhabi were a hit.
During the jobs fair, DOLE launched their service caravan. Laid-off workers were given priority in their legal assistance and emergency employment services. DOLE handed over to LGU's P300,000 as financial assistance for the emergency employment of the displaced workers.
"The emergency employment is only for those who were retrenched from companies affected by the global financial crisis, the LGUs will list all these employees based on residence," said Director Elias Cayanong, DOLE-7.
Technical Education Skills Development Authority or TESDA meanwhile conducted a livelihood orientation to the retrenched workers.
Displaced workers from Mactan Export Processing Zone Authority or MEPZA like Pablo and Irene, took the orientation for a chance to work abroad.
“Maybe my family would be better off if I will work abroad,” said Pablo Teves, a former production worker in a textile factory.
“It’s very hard when you’re unemployed, so I grab at any opportunity,” said Irene Bacoli, a contractual factory worker in a company that manufactures electrical parts.
DOLE said 42 companies all over Central Visayas have closed down because of the crisis while almost two thousand workers have lost their jobs.
as of 02/02/2009 1:20 AM
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