(www.visayandailystar.com)

About 1,674 job hunters joined the Independence Day job fairs of the Bacolod City Public Employment and Services Office and the Department of Labor and Employment in search of local and overseas hiring opportunities yesterday.

A total of 887 persons registered for their job fair at Robinson’s Place, nine of whom were hired on the spot by the Bureau of Internal Revenue in Bacolod, PESO head Moises de la Cruz said.

In Iloilo, 787 applicants participated in the work fair of the DOLE at the Amigo Plaza Mall, in the city, Crispin Dannug Jr., DOLE Region 6 assistant director, said.

Host Robinson’s, business processing unit, Convergy’s, construction outfit, Dynamic Builders, and tour agency, Travel Lounge, composed the local companies that joined the PESO job fair, De la Cruz said.

He said 24 foreign agencies also joined the PESO event, offering opportunities for engineers, welders, plumbers, and domestic helpers.

Eighty percent of the job seekers are qualified for employment abroad, De la Cruz said, adding that they just need to pass the final interview of their chosen employers.

At the DOLE initiative, Dannug said 240 applicants were referred to government agencies, while 754 were assigned to local and overseas private employment.

About 27,000 long-term and short-term jobs were available for work seekers at yesterday’s fair in Iloilo, the DOLE said.*PP