DOLE: Quarter of a million jobs unfilled

MANILA, Philippines – More than 250,000 jobs are left unfilled according to data released by state-owned Phili-JobNet (PJN). 

In a statement on Monday, February 25, Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said PJN, the government’s official job search site, recorded a total of 268,278 job vacancies as of 15 January 2013.

“This is the first time that the Phil-JobNet registered an all-time high of 268,278 job vacancies posted at the Phil-JobNet website, proof positive that our labor market information dissemination strategies are working,” she said.

“This is also the first time that job vacancies uploaded by different companies, both local and overseas, exceeded the number of registered applicants by over 100,000. This reflects the effectivity of the PJN as a hub of job and skills opportunities and an engine of labor market information in pursuit of the agenda of the Aquino III administration government to reinvigorate labor and employment,” Baldoz added.

Baldoz reported that the number of registered worker-applicants as of 15 January 2013 has reached 116,795.

The labor and employment chief emphasized the significance of the increased job vacancy postings at this time of the year, happening as it does at the expected influx of graduating students who shall be looking for jobs by April.

According to Baldoz, the number of job vacancies posted in the Phil-JobNet averaged only between 20,000-40,000 at the start of the Aquino III administration.

The top 20 jobs with the most number of vacancies, based on PJN, are:

1. Salesman – 11,858 
2. Service crew – 7,942 
3. Production Worker/ Factory worker – 6,163
4. Call Center Agenct – 4,937
5. Sales Clerk – 3,126
6. Merchandiser – 2,538
7. Janitor – 2,372
8. Office clerk – 2,306
9. Waiter – 1,902
10. Promo Salesperson – 1,616
11. Customer Service Assistant – 1,580
12. Welder – 1,292
13. Agent – 1,272
14. Security Guard – 1,237
15. Mason – 1,216
16. Production Technician – 1,201
17. Gasoline pump boy – 1,200
18. Sales Representative (Government) – 1,081

The Labor Department said PJN is an online job board where jobseekers are matched with current available vacancies in the labor market, the PJN provides timely, relevant, and readily accessible information on job vacancies and job applicants at no cost to both jobseekers and employers registered in the system.

In mid-2010, only about 3,000 establishments were accredited with the PJN registering an average of 35,000 job vacancies. The deployment of Job Search kiosks and the DOLE’s relentless advocacy for its use by the Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs), other employment intermediaries, and industries have increased the number to 7,000 establishments with an average of 100,000 posted job vacancies. – Rappler.com