5,000 contact tracers to be hired for 90 days

The Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) will hire 5,000 contact tracers for 90 days under its emergency employment program to help manage the recent surge of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila and adjacent provinces. Karina Perida Trayvilla, director of the Dole’s bureau of workers with special concerns, said the initial plan was to hire 14,000 contact tracers for 30 days. But local governments want the contact tracers to work for a longer period, so they would now be hired for 90 days, Trayvilla said. Since the budget for the 14,000 workers would be used to cover 90 days, only 5,000 workers would be employed, she said. Their salaries would be based on the regional wage rate, she said. The hiring may begin next week, she added. Interested applicants may submit their applications through the public employment service office, she said. —Leila B. Salaverria