Subic Freeport employment hits record high

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines - Employment at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) hit a record high last month due to the active expansion of various companies and the influx of investments in the area. SBMA data showed that total employment stood at 81,729 in August, the highest since the former military base was converted into an economic zone in 1992. "More jobs are about to be created in the coming months as we step up efforts to sign in more businesses and to coordinate job-skills matching with our locators," SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said. Arreza said 2008 investment pledges reached $198.8 million. As much as 5,177 new jobs are expected to be added in the short term with the 130 new projects approved this year. Workers from Olongapo City got the lion's share of the available jobs in SBMA as it cornered 39.45 percent of the employment pie in the economic zone. The provinces of Zambales and Bataan, which borders the Freeport, shared a total of 17,794 (21.77 percent) and 10,803 (13.22 percent) jobs, respectively. Workers from other parts of Central Luzon are moving into the zone with employees from Pampanga and Tarlac, both provinces usually bagging less than one percent of total jobs in SBMA, now cornered 2,837 jobs or 3.47 percent and 1,153 jobs or 1.41 percent, respectively. The rest of the employees come from various parts of the country. Arreza SBMA expects to break the 100,000 job mark before 2010, a target that SBMA set for itself in 2007. - GMANews.TV