MANILA -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is pursuing a collaboration with the Department of Tourism (DOT) to boost employment in the hospitality industry.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said findings by the DOT revealed tourism stakeholders led by hotel establishments are lacking manpower.

According to Laguesma, the collaboration will involve the holding of job fairs in various parts of the country in coordination with the regional offices of DOLE and DOT and the local government units.

“It will be a series of job fairs to be held in various cities and provinces with initial focus in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao,” Laguesma said.

The Labor chief said a memorandum of understanding (MOU) will be issued to formalize the collaboration of the two agencies for the job fairs.

“What we’re about to undertake aims to support the government’s economic recovery program by providing a platform for job seekers for job opportunities in various tourism sectors and allied services,” Laguesma said.

“Through the job fairs, we can help organizations find the best candidates for their vacancies, thus bridging industry gaps,” he added.

Dubbed ‘Trabaho Turismo Asenso’, the project is set to be launched on September 22-24, 2022.

This early, Laguesma said DOLE is already coordinating with the Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA) for the specific types of jobs required and the number of vacancies in the sector.

During their ‘listening tours’, the DOT learned establishments in the tourism industry significantly need more workers. (DOLE)