SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — A total of 6,723 job openings were posted during a job fair held at the Harbor Point Ayala Mall recently which proves that this premier Freeport is bouncing back from the hurdles brought by the pandemic.

According to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority chairperson and Administrator Rolen Paulino, the job fair is the culminating activity of the agency's celebration of the National Tourism Week 2022.

"It was supposed to be the kickoff event for the National Tourism Week, but due to super typhoon "Karding", we had to postpone it till the next week," he added, citing that 57 companies in and around the Subic Freeport participated in the event — most of them from the tourism sector.

He added that since the restrictions are easing off, it is likely that companies engaged in tourism will need more employees as the Subic Bay Freeport is seeing an influx of tourists during the next few months.

In their social media page FUNtastic Subic Bay, the SBMA Tourism Department posted the companies that are currently hiring. Companies such as Zoobic Safari, The Lighthouse Marina Resort, and The Shoreline are currently looking to expand their workforce since they are experiencing an increase in guest arrivals this year.

Atty. Melvin Varias, SBMA Labor Manager, said that among the companies hiring, seven are into business process outsourcing, eight manpower companies, 12 construction services, and nine manufacturing companies.

Two applicants were hired on-the-spot and are in fact already welcomed into the workforce by DaTian Subic Shoes Corporation, a shoe manufacturing company here.

Varias disclosed that Subic Bay Freeport workforce is 146,711-strong who are employed with 3,731 companies here. He added that Olongapo has the biggest number of workers with 65,363 employees, followed by Zambales with 27,027.

He also said that most of the workers are male, with 102,070 compared to 44,641 female workers, mostly working in the service providing companies. The service sector which comprises 74.25 percent of the workforce, is followed by the manufacturing sector with 13.76 percent.

The two categories are followed by the construction sector at 8.38 percent, while marine-related services follow with 3.61 percent.