MANILA - Over 50 companies, including a dozen locators in the First Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP) economic zone, are seeking to fill more than 4,000 job vacancies in Santo Tomas City, Batangas.

FPIP said the large need for workers was identified during two "Sulong Buhay Job Fairs" jointly organized by the company and the Santo Tomas city government.

The job fairs were held at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) campus in Santo Tomas.

Of the total vacancies, approximately one-third, or 1,089 positions, are earmarked for overseas employment, while the majority, totaling 3,095 jobs, are opportunities within local companies.

FPIP said locators in its park alone require 1,113 workers.

Some of these firms are Arkray Industries, Brother Industries, and Canon Business Machines.

Other firms looking to fill job vacancies are Citizen Finedevice, EMD Technologies, Ibiden, Kanepackage, My Brush Technology, Nippon Premium Bakery, Philippines Manufacturing Company Of Murata, Shi Manufacturing and Services, Shimano, and United Services Akcess.

Job openings are available for engineers, accountants, psychologists, office supervisors, human resource personnel and production operators.

Santo Tomas Mayor Arth Jhun Aguilar Marasigan said providing access to quality jobs for town residents and Batanguenos remains a priority.

Ricky Carandang, FPIP's Vice President and Head of External Affairs, underlined the significance of these job fairs.

"The job fairs offer our locators a venue for hiring employees who will contribute to company growth. Local residents who are constituents of our LGU partners also benefit because they get hiring priority during these fairs."

According to Santo Tomas City, nearly 922 prospective employees and recent college graduates participated in the job fairs, with 217 getting hired on the spot.

As of now, close to 4,000 vacancies remain open and available for interested candidates.

First Philippine Holdings Corporation (FPHC), controlled by the Lopez Group in partnership with Sumitomo Corporation of Japan, established FPIP as a world-class hub for global manufacturers and traders.

This 520-hectare ecozone, situated in Batangas, has become a key source of employment for nearly 80,000 Filipinos and a significant contributor to tax revenues for the local government units in the area.

FPHC and ABS-CBN Corp are part of the Lopez Group of companies.

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