Jobs in Subic up 11%

Expansion of locators and new companies in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, northwest of Manila, increased jobs in the zone by 10.9 percent year-on-year to 70,408 at end-August, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SMBA) said.

There are 700 companies operating in Subic. The 10 biggest employers account for 34 percent of the workforce.

These include shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Corp., with total direct hires of 4,946; construction firm KC Tech, 4,289; computer maker Wistron Infocomm, 3,257; electronics producer Nidec Philippines, 2,485; and manpower contractor Powerlane Resources, 2,231.

Also on the list are electronics firm Sanyo Denki with 1,141 workers; manpower service provider Jeannies Touch, 1,688; manpower contractor Nozomi Fortune Services, 1,157; Limech Garment Manufacturing Co., with 926; and courier services giant Federal Express, with 910 workers.

Last June, SBMA announced Hanjin had committed to pour an additional $684 million in its $1-billion shipyard in Subic.

Hanjin’s expansion plans are expected to open up more than 13,000 direct jobs by next year and 15,800 by 2011. Ronnel W. Domingo; with INQUIRER.net