THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) yesterday said the holding of numerous job fairs and ensuring free access to pre-employment documents explain why the country managed to recover from the high unemployment rate during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a statement, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said they believe job fairs held across the country and the free pre-employment documents provided to first-time jobseekers helped in improving the employment rate.
“Employment services are crucial in facilitating school-to-work transitions, eliminating barriers, and reducing costs in searching for and accessing employment opportunities,” said Laguesma.
Since July 2022, DOLE data showed there have been 1,190 job fairs held across the country, with 50,849 jobseekers being hired-on-the-spot.
Laguesma said the implementation of the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act has led to 343,089 first-time jobseekers being provided free pre-employment documents since 2022.
The pre-employment documents provided to first-time jobseekers include Barangay Clearance, NBI Clearance, Birth Certificate, and Certificate of Proficiency.
Speaking during the 2023 Post-SONA Discussions, Laguesma also cited the transfer of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) back to DOLE as being helpful in improving the country’s employment situation.
“TESDA was brought back to DOLE. It is a crucial step since there is a real linkage between training and employment. They cannot be separated,” said Laguesma.
During his second State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Marcos Jr. said the country’s employment rate rose to 95.7 percent from the low of 82.4 percent during the pandemic.
