The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has appealed to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) to allow their employees to participate in job fairs, following low turnout at an event held earlier this month.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said that only 300 out of 1,200 registered workers attended the October 10 job fair for POGO employees, with 33 hired on the spot. He urged POGO employers to permit their workers to join future job fairs to help them transition into new employment before the POGO ban takes effect at the end of the year.
Laguesma noted that the DOLE is planning another job fair this month, aiming to provide more opportunities for the 40,000 POGO workers expected to be displaced. DOLE is also looking into upskilling and reskilling programs to better match workers’ skills with available jobs.
The POGO ban, announced by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in his 2023 State of the Nation Address, is based on a cost-benefit analysis showing the industry’s net cost to the economy.
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