DOLE Sec. Baldoz graced opening of 1st Career Fair at the Eastwood City

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz has cited the private sector for its effort to create better access to job opportunities and to contribute actively to employment generation through the conduct of job fairs. Speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony opening the 1st Career Fair at the Eastwood City complex, the labor and employment chief said that the private sector has been the real engine of the economy in creating jobs. In her message, Baldoz encouraged jobseekers, companies and organizers of the job fair to lin up with the DOLE’s nationwide network of Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) found in local governments and schools to facilitate better job and skills matching processes and results. To facilitate hiring during job fairs, Baldoz advised jobseekers to have the self-confidence and all pertinent documents and requirements ready, adding that they should not be discouraged if found unqualified, but should instead pursue appropriate skills retooling and upgrading. Baldoz also encouraged the participating companies to hire on-the-spot (HOTS) more qualified jobseekers. At the same time, she urged jobseekers and companies to link up with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the DOLE’s agency in charge of HRD, to avail of appropriate training to ensure that they are qualified for jobs available in the growing call center and other industries of the country. Baldoz was joined in the job fair by two executive officials of the organizers, Megaworld first vice president for business development Jericho Go, and commercial division head Mr. Kevin Tan. According to the organizers, while the career fair did not target a definite quantity of opportunities, they were pleased that more than 20 top-line companies decided to join. On top of call center jobs, opportunities from a diverse array of industries abound, including customer care, banking, digital services, information and communications technology, food service, real estate and resorts, and tourism. With JobsDB.com and The Philippine Star as co-sponsors, the more than 20 companies that participated in the fair were Acquire Asia Pacific, Concentrix-Synnex Corporation, Hinduja Global Solutions, Banco de Oro, Chinabank Corporation, Citibank, VCustomer, Canon, Dell Inc., HP, IBM, Siemens, Stream Global, Thakral One it, Yell Adworks, Coca-Cola Bottlers Phil. Inc., Emperador Distillers Inc., McDonald’s, Resorts World Manila, and also Megaworld Corporation. Following Baldoz’s message, Megaworld FVP Go thanked the Labor Secretary for her presence during the occasion signifying government’s unwavering support for jobs growth in the country’s industries. Go said that the 1st Career Fair is a hallmark event for the thriving Eastwood City, as he recalled that the booming area was built by jobs. “Eastwood City began with only some 1,000 workers,” Go said, adding that, “now it is approaching 35,000 to 40,000 workers and we are looking at the range of 50,000 productive people soon as the complex expands alongside other investments in the metropolis and the Philippines.”