The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is working to support thousands of workers affected by the shutdown of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), as many remain in job transition.
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said around 40,000 workers were directly impacted by the closures. While some have secured new employment, others continue to seek opportunities.
“We continue to reach out to affected workers,” Laguesma said, emphasizing that job fairs, livelihood programs, and skills upgrading initiatives are in place to assist them.
At a recent job fair, more than 100 job seekers were hired on the spot, while another 100 received livelihood assistance.
However, DOLE is looking into factors that may have affected the turnout, including the possibility that some workers were still expecting their companies to resume operations, had already secured new jobs—particularly in the IT and business process outsourcing (BPO) sector—or found the offered salaries lower than their previous earnings.
Laguesma noted that many of the jobs offered at a recent fair in Pasay City required high-level skills. Around 8,000 positions were available, but the number of immediate hires remained low, highlighting the need for upskilling and reskilling programs.
“We see a big need to upgrade workers’ skills to match available jobs,” Laguesma said.
He has since assured that DOLE’s programs are accessible to all affected workers, regardless of connections or background: “You don’t need a padrino (patron) to get help.”