Jobs are aplenty in Clark Freeport, CDC says

Over 5,500 call center and manufacturing jobs are up for grabs at the Clark Freeport Zone this year, state-run Clark Development Corp. (CDC) said Tuesday. As of end-January, total employment at the Clark Freeport stood at 60,322 people, up 4.72 percent from 57,602 a year earlier, CDC data showed. Employment and job opportunities at the free port will further rise as Phoenix Semiconductor Philippines Corp. would start to operate and hire about 3,000 workers, Clark Development said. Phoenix Semiconductor is investing $135 million for a 15-hectare facility at the free port, CDC earlier said. Phoenix Semiconductors is controlled by STS Semiconductor and Telecommunications Co. Ltd. of South Korea. Business process outsourcing firms Cyber City Teleservices Ltd., iQor Philippines Inc., Stream Global Services Inc., and Sutherland Global Services Inc., are also expanding in the free port and would need at least 2,500 more employees, according to Clark Development. The planned expansion of Yokohama Tire Philippines Inc. (YTPI) would also raise near-term employment prospects at Clark Freeport, CDC said. Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. of Japan has announced that it would initially invest 20 billion yen to ramp up YTPI’s yearly production to 10 million tires by building a new plant that would start partial operations by 2013. — VS GMA News