Subic workforce reaches 80,000

SUBIC BAY Freeport: The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) reported Friday that its total workforce had breached the 80,000 mark as of August this year.

SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said that the 11,321 new hires for the past eight months was due to companies who are expanding their operations in the Subic Freeport.

Arreza added that in the first eight months of this year, SBMA had approved 130 new investment projects.

“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,” he said.

Last year, Subic workforce for the same period was only 70,408.

SBMA data indicated that of the total 81,729 workers employed in the Subic Freeport, majority of those were from Olongapo City, which contributed a total of 32,241, or 39.45 percent.

The second biggest number of Subic workers are from Zambales with 17,794 or 21.77 percent, followed by Bataan with 10,803 or 13.22 percent; the National Capital Region with 4,421 or 5.41 percent; Pampanga, 2,837 or 3.47 percent; Tarlac, 1,153 or 1.41 percent and other areas, 12,480 or 15.27 percent. --Anthony Bayarong - Manila Times