The country’s “educated unemployed” – holders of certificates of technical-vocational course, out-of-school youth, and those planning to switch jobs – are advised to try at the job fairs. Job fairs, also called career expos, provide a venue where representatives of companies meet potential applicants, and gauge them through interviews. A large number of young Filipinos were hired through the job fair network, often on-the-spot.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has scheduled an initial 106 job fairs in Metro Manila for 2013, in coordination with private and public sector employers. These are mega job fairs, city and municipal fairs, in-house job fairs, mini-job fairs, and even barangay job fairs, to be held in city and municipal halls, Public Employment Service Offices (PESO), schools, sports gyms, and malls. Of the 106 job fairs, only 12 are for overseas employment, as there are plenty of available jobs locally, according to the DOLE.
A job fair visitor spends less money, less time, and minimal effort as DOLE brings under one roof as many employers as possible. Jobseekers are assisted by making available to them the services of government agencies, such as the birth certificate issuance services of the National Statistics Office; clearance certificate issuance services on National Bureau of Investigation and Philippine National Police; social security benefits program of Social Security System; and passport issuance services of the Department of Foreign Affairs. DOLE job fairs are held in coordination with local government units and the PESO network, and are supervised by the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) and DOLE regional offices.
More job fairs will be scheduled this year. The target of DOLE is to double the 1,553 job fairs it conducted nationwide in 2012. DOLE regional directors are urged to make their job fair schedules available early so these can be announced to the public. Jobseekers can also avail of the facility of Phil-JobNet, the Internet-based job and applicant matching system which aims to fast-track the jobseeker’s search for jobs and the employer’s search for manpower. The centralized database is maintained by DOLE-BLE.
We congratulate the Department of Labor and Employment, headed by Secretary Rosalinda D. Baldoz, all the best and success in efforts to provide jobs for young Filipinos. CONGRATULATIONS AND MABUHAY!

Source: Manila Bulletin- January 22, 2013