Subic generates 18,000 new jobs in 11 months

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The first two months of the last quarter saw a big growth in employment here, bringing the total to 18,678 new jobs provided from January to November this year under President Arroyo’s administration.

The high employment rate in this premier freeport was the result of an increase in the hiring by major manufacturing companies in the fourth quarter, which traditionally, is a peak production period.

From January to October 2001, the total new employment added was 17,323. Retrenchments and finished contracts totaled 4,696 leaving net additional employment during the period of 12,627.

By end of November, total new jobs generated grew to 18,678 and subtracting retrenched and terminated employees, the net figure was 13,871 or an increase of 1,244 or 8.9 percent from October to November 2001.

Total new employment at SBMA as of end November this year was 44,919 workers. This far exceeds the peak employment of 30,000 workers during the US Navy days.

SBMA chairman Felicito C. Payumo noted that manufacturing companies like Wistron Infocomm (Phils.) Corp. (formerly Acer), maker of personal computers and laptops and its suppliers account for the highest hires in the months of October and November.

Wistron supplier companies that made Subic its base of operations for easier access are Catcher Technology Phils. Inc., which supplies magnesium and aluminum casings from Wistron computers; Shan Soong, which produces computer plastic moldings; Win Cross, which fabricates di-casting; and GoldeNet, supplier of manuals for computers.

In his report to Payumo during the board meeting of the Subic Bay Development Management Corp. (SBDMC) on Thursday, SBDMC president H.J. Cheng said Wistron has increased its production volume in November alone to 130,000 laptops from 70,000 units during the previous months.

Cheng said the 130,000 units have a value of $113 million.

Wistron has switched its production from some of their plants in other parts of the world to Subic, which demonstrates the cost competitiveness of the Freeport.

Sankyo Seiki and Sanyo Denki are also among the top firms that contributed to the October and November increase in hiring volume. Together with Wistron, they can absorb the 300 workers in Brand-Rex, a manufacturer of data cable, whose market was affected by the decline in the telecommunications industry market.

Sankyo Seiki, maker of the high-speed precision electronic equipment and micro-motors for computer peripherals, has investments of $100 million and is hiring 3,500 new workers. The company will inagurate its newly built plant with a four-hectare area on Feb. 1, 2002.

Payumo expressed elation over the continuing contribution of the Subic Freeport to the President’s employment generation program despite the worldwide slump in the electronics industry market.