DESPITE the global economic slowdown, companies in Cebu—even those located in economic zones—are still hiring.
Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) 7 Director Elias Cayanong said the cost efficient measures taken by the companies in the past few months may have helped them recover from the effects of the global financial crisis.
This doesn’t prove, though, that the economy in Central Visayas has improved, he added.
“These companies were (probably) able to make up with their streamlining and cost-cutting initiatives and, at the same time, got some orders. They were able to consolidate their operations and now, with enough savings and with inventory clearing up, they are now in hiring and production mode,” he said.Camera manufacturer Pentax Cebu Philippines Corp., for instance, has been hiring 200 production workers since the start of the year.
More orders
Renato Bontol, Pentax Cebu assistant general manager for administration, said the company has to hire more workers to cope with increasing orders. He pointed out that the demand for Pentax products usually picks up in time for summer.
He said the Pentax Cebu also received some orders from its mother company in Japan, which implemented a work force reduction program through voluntary retirement.
Pentax Cebu is located at the Mactan Economic Zone 1, which hosts 109 export companies with a total employment of 43,198.
According to Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) report on the effects of the global financial crisis on economic zone locators, 17 companies at MEZ 1 hired 167 employees and 14 more announced 152 job vacancies as of March 2009. These
jobs include sewers, fashion designers, accountants and managers.
The same report also stated that Fourlinks Inc. has relocated its facilities to MEZ 1 from China and is now hiring workers.
New locators
“Also, additional need for manpower is on its way for three new projects that have been approved by the Peza Board. (They are) the Norwegian Maritime, Kudo Support and Pasaporte,” the report stated.
Peza said other companies continue to hire more people. Among them are Korean-led Philippine BXT Corp., which owns Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City; shipbuilder Tsuneishi Heavy Industries Inc. in Balamban, Cebu; and Japanese electronics manufacturer and exporter Cebu Mitsumi Inc. in Danao City.
Dole, however, received reports of workers being displaced. The highest was in February when it recorded about 2,300. Only 700 workers lost their jobs in March, though.
Although the agency’s April report is yet to be finalized, Cayanong said the retrenchment figure in Cebu had “tapered off” last month.
Cayanong called on private and public stakeholders to continue their multi-sectoral endeavors to provide more jobs for the people in Central Visayas.
Yesterday, he joined SM Prime Holdings vice president for marketing Marissa Fernan and Cebu City Acting Mayor Michael Rama at the opening of the Jobapalooza 2009 at SM City Cebu.
Separate jobs fair were simultaneously held at the Provincial Capitol and at the Cebu City Sports Center.
The three venues offered a total of 10,500 jobs by 52 overseas companies and more than 90 local businesses. Dole expected more than 11,000 job applicants in all three jobs fair.
At SM City Cebu alone, more than 50 companies—mostly engaged in business process outsourcing, electronics, garments and information technology—offered about 500 jobs.
Gregorio Deramos, 32, is among the hundreds of applicants who joined the long line to the SM Cebu Trade Hall, hoping for a steady-paying job that matches his skills.
A father of two children, Deramos has been operating his own taxi for a year. Before that, he worked as a waiter at a local restaurant for five years. He went to the job fair in search of a better-paying job in a local or overseas company.
“This is part of SM’s corporate social responsibility, being one of the biggest employers in the country with more than 100,000 direct hires in all its operations throughout the country,” said Fernan, adding that the company plans to host a bigger jobs and livelihood fair next year.
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