Why Inclusive Hiring Needs to Go Beyond Good Intentions

Jollibee Group’s partnership with the Cebu City Government shows how inclusion becomes meaningful when it is supported by real jobs, accessible processes, training, and collaboration.

Inclusive hiring cannot stop at good intentions. For senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs), meaningful access to work requires more than a public commitment. It requires actual employment opportunities, practical support before and during hiring, workplace preparation, and roles where people can contribute with purpose.

Jollibee Group’s partnership with the Cebu City Government offers one example of how that can work in practice. Through the initiative, qualified senior citizens and persons with disabilities will have opportunities to work as customer relations staff in 36 participating Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, and Burger King stores across the city.

The partnership marks the first time Jollibee Group’s inclusive employment program is being rolled out in the Visayas. Since the program began in 2019, it has provided employment opportunities to more than 1,000 senior citizens and PWDs nationwide.

“Bringing this program to Cebu City is an important step in making inclusive employment opportunities available to more Filipinos across the country,” said Joseph Tanbuntiong, Chief Executive Officer of Jollibee Group Philippines and Head of Jollibee Brand Global. “As we grow and serve more communities, we also want to create meaningful opportunities for people who have the capacity and desire to contribute.”

Inclusion needs practical support
For inclusive hiring to work, applicants need more than an available job opening. They also need support throughout the process, from learning about the opportunity and submitting requirements to preparing for their roles and receiving proper workplace orientation.

Under the partnership, the Cebu City Government will help facilitate applicant intake and profiling, necessary health clearances, training, information dissemination, monitoring, and other forms of support. Jollibee Group, meanwhile, will provide job orientation, training, and assistance in opening payroll bank accounts free of charge for qualified applicants.

This shared approach recognizes that barriers to employment often arise long before an applicant’s first day at work. By involving both the local government and the employer, the program creates a more accessible route for qualified senior citizens and PWDs to enter the workforce.

“As your partner from the business sector, the Jollibee Group stays committed to supporting the employment initiatives of the local government,” said Ruth Angeles, Chief Human Resources Officer of Jollibee Group Philippines and Human Resources Head of Jollibee Brand International.

“We believe in honoring the invaluable role of every member of society, regardless of age or ability. Most of all, we believe that inclusion becomes more meaningful when opportunities are made real, accessible, and purposeful for the people who need them most,” Angeles added.

Jobs closer to the community
Bringing the program to Cebu City also makes opportunities more accessible to qualified applicants in the Visayas. Rather than requiring people to seek similar opportunities in Metro Manila or other distant locations, the partnership opens pathways closer to home and within the communities where applicants live.

In participating stores, qualified senior citizens and PWDs will support store teams in customer-facing functions, including customer relations and other front-of-house roles. These roles allow employees to help create welcoming experiences for customers while staying active, productive, and socially connected.

The expansion also demonstrates how local government units and businesses can work together to make employment more inclusive at the community level. The Cebu City partnership follows Jollibee Group’s previous collaborations with local government partners in the National Capital Region.

A growing track record
Since the program was launched in 2019, Jollibee Group’s inclusive employment initiative has continued to expand through partnerships with local governments. In 2025 alone, the company newly hired 451 individuals through the program, including 166 deaf-mute employees and 285 senior citizens.

The figures point to a broader lesson for employers: inclusion is not simply about meeting a target or making a statement. It involves identifying roles where people can thrive, providing the needed support, and ensuring that workplace opportunities are accessible in practice.

Jollibee Group’s inclusive employment initiative aligns with its sustainability agenda, Joy For Tomorrow, and reflects its continuing effort to create workplaces where more people can participate, contribute, and thrive.

Making inclusion real
The Cebu City rollout is more than an expansion into a new region. It is a reminder that inclusive hiring becomes meaningful only when it creates a clear path from intention to opportunity.

As Tanbuntiong noted, the goal is to create opportunities for people who have “the capacity and desire to contribute.” The challenge for more employers is to follow through in the same way: not only by opening doors, but by ensuring that people have the support they need to walk through them.