LAOAG CITY—Generating thousands of jobs for students, out-of-school youths and even senior citizens, the Public Employment Service Office (Peso) of the local government unit of Ilocos Norte is this year’s best performing PESO in Region 1.
The latest record showed that Ilocos Norte’s unemployment rate is down to 4.2 percent, making the province the least poor among other provinces in Region 1 such as Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan.
Unlike in previous years when most students in the province spent summer break or holidays with family and friends in beaches, rivers or other recreational facilities, some of them are now in government offices, museums and other government-owned and -managed tourism destinations assisting visitors from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays. Some are even deployed on weekends at the Visitors’ Assistance Desks strategically located near frequently visited tourism attractions here.
Thanks to the Special Program for the Employment of Students and the tourism summer-job program of the provincial government, hundreds of students with the consent of their parents are being hired in this special program.
Recognizing Ilocos Norte’s continuing Task Force Trabaho (TFT) program to boost domestic and foreign employment among Ilocanos, the Department of Labor and Employment, led by Assistant Regional Director Elpidio Atal Jr., handed on May 1 a plaque of recognition for the province represented by Peso Ilocos Norte Head Ann Marie Lizette Bitancor and Senior Board Member Matthew Joseph Manotoc.
The simple awarding ceremony was held at the Summer Job Fair activity area at the Robinsons Mall in San Nicolas town.
Since the 2012 launching of the TFT program, the Peso Ilocos Norte has recorded over 50,000 jobs generated, increasing Ilocos Norte’s local employment by more than 35 percent compared to a mere 3 percent in 2010.
While maintaining an online jobs portal, a dedicated web site for job seekers and employers to make job searching and employment within the province easier through a more efficient and technologically updated process, the Peso also performs offline and online skills registration of applicants, conducts series of job fairs, anti-illegal recruitment advocacy, employment and career counseling, among others.
Gov. Ma. Imelda Josefa Marcos said she believes “only jobs guarantee a permanent pathway out of poverty, and the challenge today is to create stable and wage-paying quality jobs”.