Officials from the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, UNDP, and associated entities open the Job Fest in Vientiane on Friday.

Job Fest opens door to employment for young hopefuls

A Job Fest that took place in Vientiane over the weekend provided a golden opportunity for young people to learn about career opportunities and meet with company representatives to learn about job vacancies.
The opening ceremony was chaired by the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Mrs Baikham Khatthiya, and the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to the Lao PDR, Martine Therer.
The Job Fest took place at the International Cooperation and Training Centre from March 22-24, and was supported by UNDP.
The event included the launch of a service tool that enables job seekers to learn about available jobs through a labour market information scheme operated by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.
The scheme gives advice about the use of various systems for identifying jobs and provides a platform for job hunters to meet with potential employers and access useful information about jobs.
Those using the scheme gain an understanding of the current job market situation and what skills are most in demand by today’s employers so they can prepare themselves to be strong candidates when applying for jobs.
The Job Fest featured 56 booths set up by Lao and foreign companies and organisations advertising 560 vacant positions that required at least 1,740 employees.
Mrs Baikham said the focus on the job market is part of an ongoing cooperation project between the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and UNDP, which aims to improve the labour market information scheme so that members of the public can access and use it more easily.
The Job Fest was attended by a large number of young people eager to learn about job opportunities and start earning money, at a time when unemployment is commonplace.
The Job Fest was organised through cooperation between the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, UNDP, and the Business Association of Employment Services, with the aim of increasing access to public sector services for employment support.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update March 25, 2024)