Thanks to the newly signed First-time Jobseekers Assistance Act (RA 11261), entering the workforce just got financially easier.
The new law waives all the government fees and charges in the issuance of the required documents for first-time job hunters.
For those starting out, getting all the requirements to begin working requires a lot of leg work. Bouncing from one government entity to the next to get all the documents that their employers are asking for.
But one of the main grunt for jobseekers is finding the means to pay for the documents to start working.
A job applicant may have to shell out as much P2,000 for the requirements, and this doesn’t necessarily include transportation fare, food, and others.
Fortunately, the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act help relieve the stress by giving them a break by waiving payment for the following:
- Police clearance certificate
- National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance
- Barangay clearance
- Medical certificate from a public hospital (but the fees and charges for laboratory testing and other medical procedures to grant the medical fee is not waived)
- Birth certificate
- Marriage certificate
- Transcript of academic records issued by state colleges and universities
- Tax Identification Number (TIN)
- Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID) card
- Other documentary requirements issued by the government that may be required by employers from job applicants
How can first-time seekers avail this
Get a Barangay Clearance
To avail of this privilege, the first-time jobseeker must first get a barangay clearance stating that he or she had no previous work.
Anyone caught fabricating or falsifying such document shall be liable under the Revised Penal Code.
Visit PESO
First-time job seekers may go to their nearest Public Employment Service Office (PESO) in their area to get assistance in securing the documents that they need for their job applications.
The Exceptions
The waived fees from RA 11261 do not cover the fees and charges that are connected to the application to take the professional licensure exam from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), or Philippine passport application, and Driver’s License.
Also, the beneficiaries of the Jobstart Program under Republic Act No 10869 are excluded from this act.
The first-time jobseekers may start availing of the program starting 15 days after the publication of RA 11261 in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
On an annual level, it is estimated that the new law will help 1.3 million Filipinos who are entering the labor force.
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