Kalinga Job Fair: 202 applicants, 16 hired on the spot and 13 near hired

Tabuk City, Kalinga - Over two hundred job seekers in Kalinga participated in the recently conducted National Tech-Voc Day cum World Café of Opportunities (WCO) job fair, according to the provincial Public Employment Service Office (PESO-Kalinga).  

Held on August 20, 2025, at the Kalinga Sports Center, the job fair opened doors to both local and overseas employment opportunities. 

Based on the record of the PESO, there were a total of 202 applicants who participated in the one-day event, composed of 155 females and 47 males. 

The job seekers tried their luck in a total of 483 job vacancies, with 346 positioned for overseas and 137 for local opportunities, offered by 14 participating establishments (11 local employers and 3 overseas). 

Talking to Guru Press Cordillera this August 26, PESO-Kalinga Manager Designate Ermilinda Wandag said there were 217 considered qualified at the job fair after successfully completing the preliminary evaluation by the employers.  

Being qualified, as explained by Wandag, means that the applicant has passed the essential criteria for the role they applied for, including educational background, professional experience, and competencies, thus making them suitable for additional assessment or interview.  

At the same time, 13 of them were regarded as near-hired, or the employer showed an intention to hire them but needed further action, such as filling out required paperwork, taking medical tests, or participating in final interviews.  

Meanwhile, 16 individuals were recruited immediately.  

The PESO Officer clarified that the number of applicants does not directly equal the number of those assessed, qualified, near-hired, and hired on the spot because some of the job seekers applied to more than one employer.

 “Nu mapasin mo ket haan pada diay total number of applicants ken dayta number ti qualified, near-hired, and hired on the spot kasi diay daduma haan lang maysa ti inaplayan da, adda tallo, adda duwa kasdiay,” she explained. 

Spearheaded by the Provincial Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the PESO, and accredited employment agencies, the job fair aims at contributing to the reduction of the unemployment rate in the province.