Jobapalooza facilitates on-the-spot hiring here

CEBU, Philippines - Over 11,000 applicants trooped yesterday to the Cebu City Sports Center, the SM City-Cebu, and the Cebu Provincial Capitol Compound for the scheduled “Jobapalooza” in line with the Labor Day.

More than 150 companies and placement agencies took part and offered 2,000 to 3,000 vacant job positions in what was billed as the biggest Labor Day jobs fair here.

Department of Labor and Employment assistant regional director Exequiel Sarcauga said that the Jobapalooza eyes to “put more workers in the labor force in this time of economic crisis.”

As of noon yesterday, 70 were hired on the spot in SM City-Cebu while 11 in Capitol.

At the city sports center, 1,871 applicants were interviewed as of noontime yesterday for the 22nd Cebu City Overseas Jobs Fair.

Fidel Magno, chief of the Department of Manpower Development and Placement here, said that they were expecting 3,000 applicants despite the fact that only 43, of the 47 agencies which earlier confirmed participation, pushed through.

“The jobs fair really helps a lot because it is like a one-stop shop. It maximizes the time of applicants. Instead of going to various places to pass their application, they can submit everything in one day,” Magno said.

Also, there is the opportunity for on-the-spot hiring, he added. So far, the highest number of applicants hired on the spot is 67, that was in 1993, this was learned.

Magno explained that it is hard, though, for overseas work applicants to get hired on the spot, despite the over 20,000 job vacancies, especially on applications that require highly skilled workers. 

Yesterday was the first time for Mary Magdalene Livia to apply for overseas work. She shared that even if she has a job here, she eyes for work abroad which offers higher compensation.

“I really can’t stay here [in the country] because the salary is not enough to feed my family,” Joselito Manatad, one of yesterday’s hopefuls, said.

Meanwhile, Jonnah Salvee Kenacia tried her luck once more since the job offering she had applied for in Canada was canceled because of the global economic crunch. — Jessica Ann R. Pareja and Ana Coritha J. Desamparado/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)