FEATURE: Not your ordinary employment activity

• Source:http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/411462256021/feature-not-your-ordinary-employment-activity
• Wednesday, May 4, 2016

By VENUS MAY H. SARMIENTO (VHS/PIA-1Pangasinan)

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan (PIA) - As the whole nation celebrated the 114th Philippine Labor Day on May 1, a new, exciting and quite unique job hunting activity took place in Pangasinan.

Jobseekers flocked to the Pangasinan Public Employment Service Office (PESO) in the first ever Night Jobs Fair that officially opened at 6:00 in the evening until 12 midnight.

The first-of-its-kind evening employment activity in the country was organized by employment office and its technical partners to cater not only to jobseekers but also to career-changers who were not able to avail of past regular job fairs because of their daytime commitment

As if adjusting time was not enough, the provincial government offered to accommodate job seekers for the night from far flung areas at the Narciso gym lodging for free to ensure their security and safety.

The Department of Labor and Employment encouraged jobseekers to take advantage of the opportunity to land a job without incurring too many expenses as when they have to go to Manila or other provinces. Together with its partners, DOLE brought the vacancies and employment services to them in a one-stop-shop fashion.

Multi-awarded Pangasinan PESO officer Alex Ferrer said the out-of-the-box employment activity is in response to the clamor of the working public as an avenue to bring down the unemployment rate and reduce underemployment rate.

In 2014, underemployment was pegged at 27 percent. It slid to only 15 percent in 2015 and is hoped to have more significant changes with activities such as the Night Job Market.

Some 15 local companies and five overseas agencies were present in the fair to bring more than 3,000 jobs to applicants.

More than 500 applicants responded to the activity and some 53 of them were hired on the spot.

The Night Job Fair is a fitting opportunity to underscore the government’s role in fulfilling inclusive growth by facilitating the employment of jobseekers in decent and productive jobs.

Pangasinan continues to think of extraordinary ways to cater to the job seekers and maintain its reputation as the m0st sought after manpower in the country.