In a recent job fair held in Pasay City, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported that just 100 out of approximately 8,000 displaced workers from Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs) were immediately employed. Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma shared these figures during a news forum in Quezon City, expressing his concern over the low employment rate among former Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) workers.
The job fair, named Career Con 2025, attracted around 8,000 attendees out of the 18,000 who had pre-registered, despite offering over 8,000 job vacancies from 150 employers. Laguesma highlighted that many of these workers are still holding out hope for the POGOs to reopen, while others are either already employed elsewhere or are not interested in the salary offers available.
The government, however, remains committed to supporting these workers. Laguesma noted that around 40,000 IGL workers have been directly affected by the closure of POGOs across regions like Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Central Visayas, with their previous salaries ranging from PHP16,000 to PHP22,000.
DOLE is not only profiling these workers but also offering them skill enhancement programs and livelihood assistance up to PHP30,000 to help them start their own businesses.