By Joseph B.A. Marzan
The Department of Labor and Employment-Region 6 (DOLE-6) continues its mission to help in the economic recovery from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as it celebrates the 123rd Philippine Independence Day through the 2021 Kalayaan Trabaho, Negosyo, at Kabuhayan Jobs and Business Fair today, June 12.
Figures from the DOLE-6’s Establishment Report System as of May 30, 2021 showed that 1,693 establishments adopted flexible work arrangements from Jan. 1 to May 31, affecting 47,438 workers.
The same dataset indicated that 33,296 workers were affected after 1,285 establishments temporarily closed. Also, 504 establishments retrenched or reduced their workforce by 4,689, and 567 workers lost their jobs after 60 establishments permanently closed.
The DOLE-6’s online job fair will be held via its Mynimo portal (https://www.mynimo.com/dole6-jobs), and will offer 4,478 jobs from 31 employers.
These include vacancies from Aklan (2), Capiz (526), the city and province of Iloilo (2485), and Negros Occidental and Bacolod City (1,462).
Three employers from the government (1,048 vacancies) and 28 employers from the private (3,430 vacancies) sectors will be participating.
There are no overseas job opportunities available due to the DOLE-6’s temporary ban on overseas deployment.
In addition to the available business and employment opportunities, DOLE-6’s official Facebook account will host the following talks:
– Rights of children by Regional Coordinator for Council for the Welfare of Children Raji Alvarado (10:00-10:30 a.m.);
– Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry demands and hiring practices by Iloilo Federation for Information Technology chairperson Jessraf Palmares (10:30-11:00 a.m.);
– Future of Work and Workforce of the Future by Economic Development Committee VI chairperson Francis Gentoral (11:00-11:30 a.m.);
– Starting an online business by Mutya Eusores from Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Iloilo (11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.);
– Success story of Charity Delmo, President and Founder of Ideal Visa Consultancy (1:00 p.m.);
– Telecommuting Act and Flexible Work Arrangement by Pauli Ong from Bureau of Working Conditions (2:30-3:15 p.m.); and
– The Fourth Industrial Revolution and how it affects the workforce by Institute of Labor Studies Director Ahmma Satumba (3:15 p.m.).
To promote the virtual fair, DOLE-6 Regional Director Cyril Ticao touted in a press conference on Thursday the recent report of employment increase in Region 6, which he said was a sign that “people are recuperating”.
Ticao added that the job and business fair aims to strengthen the labor force, which he called a “key element in nation-building”.
The Philippine Statistics Authority’s latest Labor Force Survey (LFS) indicated that as of April 2021, employment in the region shot up to 92.5 percent, compared to 90.9 percent in January 2021.
“It has been reported that there is a rise in employment rate in Region 6, that means we are slowly recuperating from the impact of the pandemic. It is our goal in the government to attain prosperity for our people by creating these jobs and increasing income either through wage employment or entrepreneurship. Our labor force is one of the key elements in nation building,” Ticao said.
