Metro job opportunities many, says Dole official

Job seekers gather at Quezon City Hall grounds during the Lador Day Job and Business Fair. INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

There are many job opportunities in Metro Manila despite a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey finding that 10 million Filipinos are jobless, a Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) official said on Monday.

Johnson Cañete, regional director of Dole in the National Capital Region, said Metro Manila was one of the regions of the country with high employment rates.

“In Metro Manila the employment rate is 97.3 percent, so we are one of the regions with high employment rates and more employment opportunities,” he said.

The latest SWS survey showed that joblessness went down from 11.2 million in December to 10.4 million jobless adults in the first quarter of 2017.

For entire country

Cañete pointed out that the 10.4 million jobless Filipinos were for the entire country.

“When you talk about the entire country, there are regions that may not be so rich in terms of business and opportunities. There may be fewer agribusiness investing in the country,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the economic integration among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations would boost employment opportunities.

He cited the recently opened trade route from Davao City and General Santos City in Mindanao to Bitung City in Indonesia.

“This could now be an opportunity because there is now an easier way of transporting the goods and agricultural products,” Cañete said.