President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., together with Go Negosyo founder and Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) Education and Jobs Group lead Joey Concepcion, and government partners from the Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Information and Communications Technology welcomed thousands of job seekers to the SM Job Fair + Skills e-Hub, Holiday Career Fest last December 11, 2025 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall in Pasay City.

President Marcos encouraged the job seekers to make the most of the opportunities available at the event and urged entrepreneurs to show the creativity and innovation of Filipino businesses and use the occasion “to build partnerships, explore new ideas, and envision bigger possibilities.”

“None of this would be possible without the support of the private sector, including our mall partners and the PSAC,” President Marcos said.

The President stressed that the close partnership between the government and the private sector “has proven to be one of the strongest drivers of national development,” especially in creating jobs, providing skills training, and supporting Filipino workers and entrepreneurs.

In his speech, Concepcion said both trabaho (jobs) and negosyo (enterprise) are needed for the Philippines to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth. “The Private Sector Advisory Council Education and Jobs Group has been working to help not just job seekers but also MSMEs,” he said. “As we scale up MSMEs, they will be able to create more jobs.” MSMEs generate more than half of the jobs and account for almost all of the enterprises in the country. Along with upscaling MSMEs, Concepcion said the PSAC Education and Jobs Group is also working hard to upskill Filipinos to enable them to get better jobs and become more competitive amidst the rise of AI and a more globalized economy.

The SM Job Fair + Skills e-Hub, Holiday Career Fest showcased the partnership between the government and the private sector in bringing more and better employment opportunities for Filipinos. In addition to the event at the SM Mall of Asia, simultaneous events were also held at the Ayala Malls by the Bay and Robinsons Manila, where Go Negosyo held free entrepreneurship mentoring sessions for active and aspiring entrepreneurs.