Policy objectives and coverage reach
- The guidelines are designed to fast-track the delivery of employment facilitation services to the poor, unemployed, new entrants to the labor force, displaced, and returning migrant workers throughout the country (Section 1).
- The guidelines aim to assist in filling up vacancies of employers (Section 1).
- The guidelines are intended to strengthen support for the anti-illegal recruitment campaign of DOLE (Section 1).
- The guidelines apply to all Jobs Fairs conducted, hosted, sponsored, and/or co-sponsored by Non-Government Organizations and other private entities, including educational institutions, and participated in by accredited employers, PRPAs and PEAs, or registered contractors/sub-contractors (Section 3).
Key definitions for jobs fairs
- A “Regional Office” means the DOLE Regional Office having jurisdiction over the conduct of the Jobs Fair (Section 2[a]).
- A “PESO” means the Public Employment Service Office having jurisdiction over the conduct of a Jobs Fair (Section 2[b]).
- A “Requesting Party” is the entity requesting to host or sponsor a Jobs Fair (Section 2[c]).
- A “Participating entity” includes employers, companies, licensed private recruitment and placement agencies, licensed employment agencies for overseas employment, and registered contractors/sub-contractors joining the Jobs Fair for recruitment purposes (Section 2[d]).
- A “Private Recruitment and Placement Agency (PRPA)” refers to a recruitment and placement agency for local employment duly licensed by DOLE (Section 2[e]).
- A “Private Employment Agency (PEA)” refers to a recruitment and placement agency for overseas employment duly licensed by the POEA (Section 2[f]).
- A “Jobs Fair” is an employment facilitation strategy that brings together job seekers and employers, licensed/authorized recruitment agencies, and registered job-contractors/sub-contractors in a specific venue at a specified date, and disseminates information on other DOLE programs and services (Section 2[j]).
Scope: local and overseas recruitment rules
- Job vacancies covered by these guidelines include existing job opportunities in employers’ enterprises and/or listed with licensed/authorized recruitment agencies and registered job contractors/subcontractors, accredited to participate in the Jobs Fair (Section 2[k]).
- A “Job Order” refers to overseas job vacancies posted by accredited employers approved by the POEA (Section 2[l]).
- The guidelines treat participation by private recruitment/placement agencies differently for reporting: local hiring reports go to the Regional Office, while overseas worker deployment reports go to the POEA (Sections 4[B] and 4[C]).
- Educational institutions are governed by a separate permission and supervision framework for their Jobs Fairs (Section 7).
- Reporting roles apply to participating employers, PRPAs, PEAs, job-contractors/sub-contractors, and the relevant government offices (Sections 4[C]).
Jobs Fair process: before, during, after
- Before the actual Jobs Fair, the Requesting Party must file a written request with the Regional Office, copy furnished the PESO, at least ten (10) working days before the Jobs Fair date (Section 4[A][1]).
- The request must enclose the list of employers and agencies intending to participate, with copies of their license/registration certificates and job orders/vacancies, and must indicate the proposed date and venue (Section 4[A][1]).
- Private employment agencies that will participate must properly secure a Provincial Recruitment Authority (PRA) from the POEA (Section 4[A][1]).
- The DOLE Regional Director and/or duly authorized representatives must conduct an ocular inspection of the venue and verify job vacancies, job orders, and licenses of participants within five (5) working days from receipt of the request; job vacancies and job orders must be matched with the skills registry in the area (Section 4[A][2]).
- The DOLE Regional Director must evaluate and determine the merit of the request and approve it in writing within five (5) working days from receipt; the approval copy must be furnished to the concerned PESO (Section 4[A][3]).
Supervision, posting, and reporting obligations
- During the Jobs Fair, the Regional Office and/or PESO must supervise the Jobs Fair to ensure conformity with existing rules (Section 4[B][1]).
- If private employment agencies participate, POEA representatives must also supervise to ensure conformity with POEA Rules and Regulations (Section 4[B][2]).
- The Jobs Fair procedures must be posted in conspicuous places in the venue (Section 4[B][3]).
- Before leaving the venue, participating employers, companies, recruitment agencies, and job-contractors/sub-contractors (or their authorized representatives) must submit a Jobs Fair Terminal Report using the prescribed form to the authorized representative of the PESO (Section 4[C][1]).
- If the Jobs Fair includes private employment agencies, the POEA representative must be furnished a copy of the Jobs Fair Terminal Report (Section 4[C][1]).
- Within one (1) month after the Jobs Fair and every month thereafter until final submission, participating employers, companies, PRPAs, and job contractors/sub-contractors must submit Jobs Fair Placement Reports to the Regional Office, copy furnished the PESO, using the prescribed form (Section 4[C][2]).
- Within ninety (90) days after the Jobs Fair and every month thereafter until final submission, participating private employment agencies must submit Jobs Fair Deployment Reports to the POEA, copy furnished the Regional Office and the PESO, using the prescribed form (Section 4[C][3]).
- The Regional Office, with the assistance of the PESO, must consolidate all reports for submission to the DOLE Secretary, with the Bureau of Local Employment furnished a copy (Section 4[C][4]).
Participation requirements and required authorizations
- Participating private establishments/companies/recruitment agencies/job contractors/sub-contractors must have existing job vacancies or approved job orders submitted to the Regional Office, copy furnished the PESO, at least ten (10) working days before the Jobs Fair (Section 5[a]).
- Participating private recruitment and placement agencies must hold a valid PRPA License/Authority issued by DOLE (Section 5[b]).
- Participating private employment agencies must have a valid POEA License, Provincial Recruitment Authority, and available job orders (Section 5[c]).
- Participating job contractors/sub-contractors must be registered with DOLE (Section 5[d]).
- Entities using the electronic medium in recruitment and/or placement of persons must be registered with DOLE (Section 5[e]).
- Representatives of participating agencies and employers must have authority to decide on the hiring of applicants (Section 5[f]).
Prohibitions on fees, advertisements, and approval
- No Jobs Fair by private entities or non-government organizations may be conducted without prior written approval of the Regional Director (Section 6[a]).
- No fees whatsoever may be collected from job seekers or applicants in the Jobs Fair (Section 6[b]).
- Placement fees from applicants and service fees from principals must be collected only in accordance with existing rules governing private recruitment and placement agencies for local employment, or the existing POEA rules for overseas employment (Section 6[b]).
- No advertisement or press may be made by organizers/hosts without proper clearance from the Regional Office; when overseas recruitment agencies and/or overseas job vacancies are included, proper clearances from the POEA must also be secured (Section 6[c]).
Special rules for educational institutions
- Educational institutions may conduct Jobs Fairs without seeking DOLE approval if the Jobs Fairs are solely for their students and new graduates, conducted within their premises, and involve participating entities/companies hiring for their own staff complement (Section 7[a]-c]).
- The DOLE Regional Office or PESO may supervise, provide technical assistance, and monitor results of the Jobs Fair conducted by educational institutions (Section 7).
- If an educational institution’s Jobs Fair fails to conform with Section 7, the other provisions of the Guidelines apply (Section 7).
Administrative costs and penalties
- The Requesting Party must shoulder all administrative costs in the conduct of the Jobs Fair (Section 8).
- Violations involving recruitment and placement for local employment are punishable in accordance with Articles 39 and 288 of the Labor Code, as amended (Section 9).
- Violations involving recruitment and placement for overseas employment are punishable under the pertinent provisions of Republic Act No. 8042, titled “Migrant Workers and Overseas Act of 1995”, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, or the POEA Rules and Regulations (Section 9).
- The penal provision applies only to recruitment and placement agencies for local and/or overseas employment participating in the Jobs Fair (Section 9).