SAN NICOLAS, Ilocos Norte -- Eighty–one Ilokano job seekers were hired on-the-spot during the "Naruay a Panggedan" Job Fair conducted by the provincial government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) through its Provincial Public Employment Service Office (PESO) at the Robinsons Mall expansion activity area on April 15 here.
Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc said the activity was part of the Provincial PESO’s Employment Facilitation Strategy that aims to fast-track the achievement of its local jobseekers and the participating employers and overseas recruitment agencies in one venue to reduce the cost, time, and effort on the part of applicants.
Nine national government agencies and 38 local companies participated in the activity with 5,713 vacancies.
“Ito po ay tuloy-tuloy na programa at efforts ng PGIN para talagang i-connect ang ating mga job seekers at mga employers, kasi syempre gusto po natin, ang bawat kakailian natin ay may trabaho at talagang may quality job para tuloy-tuloy po ang commerce at progreso sa ating probinsiya,” said Governor Manotoc.
He thanked the event's partner employers and companies for their participation and encouraged them to hire on-the-spot job seekers.
Ilocos Norte OIC–PESO’s Anne Marie Lizette B. Atuan said PESO has various job opportunities accessible in the province.
She added that aside from job fairs, they also offer Livelihood Training Programs, a Special Program for the Employment of Students, a Government Internship Program, and Work Readiness Program for fresh graduates.
For the convenience of job seekers, Atuan said the applicants may pre-register at [https://workin.ilocosnorte.gov.ph](https://workin.ilocosnorte.gov.ph/) and learn more about the job opportunities available in the province and abroad.
Meanwhile, the Communications and Media Office (CMO) of Ilocos Norte said the one-day job fair also featured the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Mobile Caravan, which provided overseas workers with legal assistance and "Balik Manggagawa" document processing.
In a related report, the Ilocos Region has recorded an employment rate of 94.1%, according to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority-Region I.