The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced Monday that it is eyeing "internet-assisted job interviews" to help jobseekers in distant areas find employers.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque announced this proposal at the multi-sectoral "Joining Hands Against Global Crisis" job summit held at Malacanang, saying this could ease the burden of travel costs for the unemployed.

"You know, all we need is a webcam, with good resolution and good quality so that interviews can be conducted even overseas. The studio facilities can be set up in DOLE," Roque told ABS-CBN.

Roque said that the proposal, which the government seeks to implement in two to three months, involves setting up interview facilities in DOLE's regional offices, which will be connected online so that employers both in the country and abroad could interview applicants over the internet.

Roque also said that the government is studying how to improve documentation processes for Filipino expatriate workers.

DOLE's proposal was issued after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said that although 5,000 Filipinos lost jobs overseas, there are still 500,000 jobs available.

"Our challenge now is how to make sure that we have qualified workers who will not lose jobs. Qualification, experience, even skills, certification, the challenge is how to bridge that gap between qualification and the requirement for those skills," Roque said.

He added that there were already job orders for Filipinos, which could guarantee Filipino workers employment in Canadian and Australian health care industries, as well as construction opportunities in Middle Eastern countries. Roque said that there have been 12,000 recruitments in the past week.

DOLE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Augusto Syjuco revealed that despite layoffs overseas, Filipinos are still reportedly being deployed abroad.

"The Filipino is the most wanted worker in the world because of all these, especially loyalty to the employer and dedication to the job. What is nice is that we have around 3,700 Filipinos leaving the country every day. So if you think about it, out of 5,000 who came back here, in two days, we've recovered our losses," he said.

The Philippines has reportedly had about 39,000 retrenchments involving 435 business establishments nationwide. The job summit, initiated by Arroyo, DOLE, and the Department of trade and industry, aimed to preserve and create job opportunities amid the economic slowdown.
-- with a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News