DOLE: Jobs still abound in Cordillera despite crisis

BAGUIO CITY – Hundreds of jobs still await applicants in the Cordillera.

This was bared by the Cordillera office of the Department of Labor and Employment which said there are still overseas and local employment opportunities in the region amidst the global financial crisis now taking its toll on some multi-national companies based at the Philippine Economic Zone Authority here in Barangay Loakan.

The jobs are from the business process out-sourcing industry, hotels and restaurants and technical people, especially in various employment companies overseas.

Lawyer Ana Dione, DOLE regional director, said three big call center companies operating in this mountain resort city have vacancies ranging from 800 to 1,000 which could help reduce unemployment in the region.

She said hundreds of vacancies are also available in the hotels and restaurants here and abroad which indicates the region is slowly rising from economic slump which resulted in the displacement of over 2,000 workers in multi-national companies.

In the case of Texas Instruments Philippines, Dione revealed the semi-conductor company is slowly re-hiring its displaced workers which illustrates that the region is on the way to recovery in the coming months.

Dione said effects of the supposed improved global economic condition will be felt slow the coming months but this should not be considered a setback in the region’s effort to mitigate effects of the crisis.

The labor department will be holding a two day jobs fair on August 14-15 at the University of Baguio gym in order to provide job seekers the chance to be employed in either local or overseas companies.

For Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company which subjected its workers to a job rotation basis, Dione confirmed only 15 percent of the 1,500 workers are still undergoing job rotation while 85 percent of the workers are now regularly observing the normal work with the one of the prestigious mining company in the country.

However, she revealed the agency is still looking into the payment scheme of the salaries of their workers since the company still owes them for the work that they have rendered over the past several months. -- Dexter A. See