The fruitful collaboration between the Department of Tourism XI (DOT) and the Department of Labor and Employment XI (DOLE) during the “Trabaho, Turismo, Asenso!” Philippine Tourism Job Fair held on September 22-23, 2022 at Abreeza Mall Davao recruited a total of 390 job seekers out of 548 screened applicants.
Of the total recruited, 19 were hired-on-the-spot (HOTS) and 371 were considered near-hire applicants who are yet to complete their documentary requirements or attend final interviews/tests.
The event worked toward presenting employment opportunities to the displaced workers in the tourism industry during the height of the pandemic. Davao Region was among the three (3) regions to kick-start the multi-month series of job fairs across the country which will conclude in May 2023. The other two regions were the National Capital Region and Central Visayas (Region VII).
The Davao leg of the first ever tourism job fair solicited a total of 2,576 local vacancies from 42 employers coming from the primary and secondary/allied services of the tourism industry. The primary establishments included hotels and resorts, while the secondary/allied services were mostly manpower agencies, and food and beverage services. The two-day job fair was in partnership with the Public Employment and Services Office (PESO) Davao City, City Government of Davao, and the Davao Tourism Association (DATA).
In his opening message, DOLE XI Assistant Regional Director Atty. Jason P. Balais highlighted the role of DOLE in line with the administration’s goal for tourism, particularly in its contribution to the nation’s development and in economic resurgence. “We hope that this job fair will provide opportunities for both our job seekers and tourism establishments as we work together to create productive employment in our region.”
In the same way, DOT XI Regional Director Tanya Rabat-Tan emphasized that this job fair would lay out various openings and possibilities seeing that tourism has been one of the country’s biggest employers. “As we continue to have a positive outlook to support the sustainable recovery of tourism, we carry on with our best efforts to address the country’s shortage of tourism workforce.”
The opening ceremony of the event was also graced by DOT Usec. Ferdinand C. Jumapao, Hon. City Councilor Bernard E. Al-ag, PESO Davao City Manager Lilibeth D. Pantinople, and DATA President Cherry Faye B. Al-ag.
DOLE XI Regional Director Atty. Randolf C. Pensoy underscored in one of his messages that since the reopening of the various industries, the unemployment rate in Davao Region as of July 2022 significantly decreased from 4.9% last year to 2.9% this year. The data demonstrated that the economy in the region has been recovering and emerging stronger from the pandemic.
Apart from the job fair, 12 groups of DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP) beneficiaries in Davao City displayed their products, such as chocolates, handicrafts, and bottled gourmet, at the venue. The beneficiaries generated a combined sale of Php 109,555.
The Memorandum of Understanding for the conduct of the job fair was signed on August 30, 2022, by the Labor and Tourism Secretaries Bienvenido E. Laguesma and Ma. Esperanza Christina Garcia-Frasco, respectively.
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