Daily Tribune
LOOK: A throng of applicants is seen occupying the Music Hall of the SM Mall of Asia. They are trying their luck in looking for overseas jobs through the Overseas Job Fair hosted by the Pasay City government's Public Employment and Services Office (PESO) on Tuesday, 27 August 2024. The job fair attracted 24 firms from Asia, Africa, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, and America.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Thursday said that more opportunities are available for skilled and semi-skilled workers, with "several key factors expanding."
In a statement, DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said positive growth is seen in service and sales, craft and related trades, as well as in the industry of technicians and associate professionals.
Laguesma made the statement after the Labor Force Survey showed that the unemployment level significantly decreased by 69,000, from two million (3.9 percent) in March 2024 to 1.931 million (3.9 percent) in March.
Additionally, the Labor chief noted that the labor force participation and unemployment rates continue surpassing the Philippine Development Plan targets.
"The March 2025 Labor Force Survey results mirror and reflect the volatile nature of our labor market, which is influenced and impacted by both external and internal factors. It affirms the need to address inefficiencies in our labor market (i.e., education-job mismatch, skills-job mismatch, and geographical mismatch, among others)," he added.
From January to April 2025, the DOLE successfully organized 338 job fairs nationwide, soliciting more than 670,000 job vacancies from 10,000 local and overseas employers.
At the last Labor Day nationwide job fair alone, a total of more than 260,000 jobs were up for grabs for our job seekers.
"This indicates that there are available jobs, but the challenge is how to match these jobs with job seekers who participate in these job fair events," Laguesma further noted.
"The recent launch of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Plan 2025-2034 last May 5 is expected to address the labor market inefficiencies and stimulate national and local economic growth and development through the creation of more quality jobs and employment opportunities to address unemployment, underemployment, youth unemployment, and other labor market challenges," he added.
Moving forward, Laguesma continued, the DOLE "will pursue strategic objectives of crafting effective and relevant employment policies, enhancing workforce employability and skills, broadening access to jobs and livelihood opportunities, and fostering a conducive environment for sustainable and resilient businesses nationwide" in partnership with the private sectors and stakeholders.
