Rizal Park hosts 10,000 jobseekers

MANILA, Philippines - Heavy rains yesterday failed to dampen the desire of thousands of jobseekers to find employment.

Over 10,000 jobseekers braved the rain and trooped to government-initiated job fairs nationwide, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported.

DOLE spokesman Nicon Fameronag said that as of 11 a.m., they had received a total of 10,045 job applications from various regions nationwide.

“We are expecting the number to increase further as we get data from the rest of the 17 regions,” he said.

Of the 10,045 registered applicants, 3,408 were considered qualified, with 2,777 set for further interviews.

Fameronag said 719 jobseekers were also hired on the spot.

At the job fair in Rizal Park in Manila alone, DOLE recorded a total of 5,245 job applicants as of 1 p.m. Of the number, 156 were hired on the spot.

Criselda Sy, DOLE Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) director, said those who were hired on the spot normally apply for entry level positions.

“If the vacant position is highly technical, you would expect the applicant to be subjected to further interview,” she said.

“They have to go to the company for further matching, concerning the requirements of the company,” Sy explained.

More than 150,000 local and overseas jobs were offered in the simultaneous job fairs held in observance of Independence Day.