Objectives of the Guidelines
- General: Establish standards and procedures for job fair permits; define roles and responsibilities.
- Specific objectives include:
- Ensure legal capacity of entities conducting job fairs.
- Require Overseas Licensed Recruitment Agencies to have Job Fair Authority from POEA.
- Make sure sponsors/organizers are informed of guidelines and have secured required permits.
- Protect jobseekers by ensuring all participants have proper clearances and licenses.
Definitions of Key Terms
- Job Fair: Activity facilitating meetings between job seekers and employers; includes multiple employers at one venue.
- Various forms (JF Form 1 to JF Form 6) used for permit applications, placement reporting, monitoring, and deployment tracking.
- Entities such as Licensed Recruitment Agencies (LRA), Private Recruitment and Placement Agencies (PRPA), and Registered Job Contractors are defined.
- Permit, clearance, and authority documents related to conducting and participating in job fairs are explained.
Scope of Application
- Applies to all job fairs or similar activities with more than one employer or recruitment agency.
- Covers both local and overseas employment recruitment and placement.
Requirements for Job Fair Permit Application
- Completed Job Fair Permit Application Form.
- Certification of registration with appropriate government agencies (DTI, SEC, CDA, DOLE).
- List of participating entities with Phil-JobNet accounts.
- Valid NBI/Police clearance of owners or officers.
- Minimum financial qualifications: Php 500,000 net worth or Php 2,000,000 paid-up capital.
- Licenses of participating entities.
- Job vacancy lists or approved job orders.
- Venue location map and layout.
Roles and Responsibilities of Government Agencies
- DOLE: Primary agency administering job fairs and issuing permits.
- Bureau of Local Employment (BLE): Assists in program management, consolidates schedules and reports.
- DOLE Regional and Field Offices: Oversee regional implementation, approve permits, supervise job fairs, submit reports.
- POEA: Issues Job Fair Authority to Licensed Recruitment Agencies, monitors overseas employment recruitment.
- PESO: Implements job fairs, ensures compliance, registers participants, submits reports.
Duties and Responsibilities of Entities Involved
- DOLE Central Office/BLE: Monitor and audit national job fairs and program effectiveness.
- DOLE Regional Offices: Supervise regional job fairs, consolidate reports, audit compliance, assist in complaints.
- DOLE Field Offices: Process permit applications, conduct venue inspections, issue permits, supervise job fairs, enforce sanctions, consolidate post-job fair reports.
- PESO: Receive and endorse applications, pre-match skills and vacancies, register participants, prepare reports, follow-up placements and deployments.
- POEA: Assess Job Fair Authority requests, supervise overseas recruitment activities, monitor deployment.
- Job Fair Sponsor/Organizers: Obtain permits, coordinate participants, arrange logistics and security, assist during and after job fair.
- Local Employers/PRPAs: Register and post vacancies, submit placement reports, enforce proper representation.
- Licensed Recruitment Agencies: File for Job Fair Authority, register vacancies, submit deployment reports, maintain proper conduct.
Exemptions from Job Fair Permit Requirement
- National Government Agencies: Must coordinate with DOLE regional/field offices but no permit required.
- PESOs: Coordinate schedules with DOLE, required to submit schedules and notices.
- Educational Institutions: Permit-exempt if job fair is for their students/graduates, held on premises, and only for their own staffing needs.
Job Fair Permit Fee
- Php 3,000 fee payable upon application.
- Non-refundable.
- Funds used for program management, inspections, monitoring, production of registration cards, and incidental expenses.
Prohibitions Regarding Job Fairs
- Conducting job fairs without permit (unless exempt).
- Charging jobseekers fees except authorized placement fees.
- Charging participating entities fees beyond direct costs.
- Permits valid for max three days only and specific venue.
- Advertising job fairs before permit issuance.
- Posting job orders without POEA clearance.
- Allowing unregistered entities or those without posted vacancies.
- Manpower pooling during job fairs.
- Participation of LRAs without Job Fair Authority.
Grounds for Denial of Job Fair Permit
- Misrepresenting information in application.
- Submission of fraudulent or falsified documents.
- Failure to comply with previous reporting requirements.
- Non-compliance with guideline prerequisites.
- Violations of prohibitions in Section 9.
Penalties for Violations
- Recruitment for local employment: Punishable under Articles 39 and 288 of the Labor Code.
- Overseas employment recruitment violations: Subject to RA 8042 and POEA rules.
- Violations by government personnel: Punishable under RA 3019 (Anti-Graft) and RA 6713 (Ethical Standards).
Miscellaneous Provisions
- Repealing clause: Prior inconsistent rules are repealed or modified.
- Separability clause: Invalid provisions do not affect the validity of others.
- Effectivity: Guidelines effective 15 days after publication in two newspapers of general circulation.