AROUND 845 jobseekers were hired on the spot during last Sunday’s job fairs in at least three venues in Cebu.
Those hired were among 5,706 job seekers who joined the job fairs in Abellana National High School, SM Cebu and the Cebu International Convention Center.
Of the 845, 22 were hired for overseas jobs and the rest were local jobs.
Exequiel Sarcauga, acting regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE 7), said he was happy that 22 hired were for overseas jobs and this was the first time that a job fair had hired that number on the spot for overseas jobs.
He said that DOLE 7 would hold more job fairs to address the unemployment problem in the region.
The unemployment rate in the region is pegged at 8.3 percent, but Sarcauga admitted that the unemployment problem could not be solved outright because every semester, there are thousands of new graduates who need to land a job.
In an interview yesterday, Sarcauga said 5,681 of the applicants were referred to the different companies and around 5,583 were interviewed.
But most of them were told to just wait for calls, while 845 were hired on the spot.
Sarcauga also said that most of the problem encountered during the job fairs on Sunday was the mismatch of the applicants’ skills and the available jobs.
There were 15,500 local and overseas jobs available on Sunday’s job fairs.
There were 150 companies that participated including call centers, banks, restaurants, hotels and stores.
Sarcauga advised high school graduates to enroll in technical courses, which are more in demand compared to nursing and other four-year courses.
He, however, admitted that most of the young students wouldn’t enroll in technical courses because they wanted to have white collar jobs in the future.
Meanwhile, Sarcauga said he ordered the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) 7 secretariat to schedule a meeting with the members of the board as soon as possible to take up the labor day message of President Aquino announcing that the different wage boards to come up with new wage orders in the coming weeks.
Sarcauga, however, wouldn’t say whether the board would approve a new wage order.
He said this would still be the subject of their future consultations in the different provinces with the region.
Sarcauga also said the board also decided to further determine the economic conditions of the region through provincial consultations.
The first provincial consultation will be on May 12 which will be held in Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
Sarcauga said that the schedule for a hearing in Cebu is still subject for the availability of the other members of the board.
He added that after a day of consultation in every province, the board will immediately convene./Correspondent Jhunnex Napallacan with a report from Correspondent Fe Marie Dumaboc