Ten jobseekers were hired on the spot in Marikina City's Labor Day Job Fair held at SM Marikina on Wednesday, May 1, as part of the local government's efforts in helping its citizens obtain jobs and earn a living.
(Photos from Marikina LGU)
Marikina City Rep. Maan Teodoro gave P2,000 allowance for the newly-hired.
“Alam naman natin kapag naghahanap ka ng trabaho, may requirements and then ‘yung transportation nila, iyon ay tulong na sa kanila para makapag-asikaso sila ng requirements at first day nila (We all know that there are requirements and transportation expenses when job hunting, hence, they can use their P2,000 for the processing of their requirements on their first day)," Teodoro said.
She added that around 350 jobseekers registered an hour after the opening of the job fair.
“Mayroon tayong 34 companies (dito sa job fair). This is historic, last year around 29 or 30 . Every year, tumataas ang participating companies natin. At sa ating mga kumpanya, kapag taga Marikina, makakasigurado po kayo maayos magtrabaho dahil kaming mga taga Marikina ay may disiplina at mabuti ang ugali (We have 34 participating companies in this job fair. This is historic because last year, there were around 29 or 30 of them which means the number of our participating companies are increasing. They can also be assured that applicants from Marikina are ideal workers because we are disciplined and have good morals)," the lawmaker stressed.
Marikina City Mayor Marcy Teodoro said they employed the whole-of-government approach in organizing the job fair, emphasizing collaboration between local and national authorities to create employment opportunities.
The local chief also emphasized that the notion of no available jobs is inaccurate, clarifying that the issue lies in job mismatch.
“Hindi totoong walang trabaho, eh, ‘yung nga lang mayroon tayong mismatch kaya tayo sa local government ‘yung skills training natin ay pinagbubuti natin; pag-o-offer ng mga kurso, itinatama natin doon sa industry requirement. Kung magagawa natin ito, mayroong trabaho, nawawalan ng trabaho dahil sa job mismatch na tinatawag (It's not true that there are no jobs available, it's just that there is a mismatch on job opportunities. That's the reason why we in the local government are continuously improving our skills training, course offering, and ensuring that the skills and competencies of workers are aligned with the industry requirement. If we can accomplish this, there will always be job opportunities available and no one will lose their job due to job mismatch)," Teodoro said.
He explained the city government is currently offering different college courses in Marikina as well as career counseling for senior high school students to prepare them for their ideal college program. This ensures that whatever they will learn in college is aligned to the jobs and industries available.
"Ayaw nating i-offer ang mga kurso na sa dulo kapag nagtapos ay walang pagkakataong magkatrabaho (We don't want to offer courses that are in the end, will not be able to provide job opportunities to its graduates)," the mayor noted.