More than 3k hired on the spot in June 12 job fairs: Labor dept

Job seekers flock to the Department of Migrant Workers' Kalayaan Overseas Job Fair in Quezon City on Independence Day, June 12, 2025. With 3,700 job openings from 10 participating agencies, the fair is open to registered applicants, while walk-ins may submit their resumes in the agencies' drop boxes. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- More than 3,000 Filipinos were hired on the spot in job fairs across the country on June 12.

In a statement, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said 3,364 applicants were hired on the spot. They got jobs as cashiers, service crew, production operators, English-as-a-second-language teachers, baggers, sales associates, clerks, production crew, loan officers, and store clerks.

Meanwhile, 4,676 job seekers were classified as near-hires, which means they only need to pass final evaluations or submit documents.

The DOLE said some 1,573 employers offered about 153,187 local and overseas jobs in the job fairs.

The jobless rate in the Philippines was at 4.1 percent in April, up from the 3.9 percent clip seen in March, and the 3.8 percent clip in February. This means 2.06 million Filipinos were unemployed.

The underemployment rate, which is usually seen as an indicator of job quality, also climbed to 14.6 percent in April from 13.4 percent in March.

Unemployment, underemployment rates up in April from March