Online employment listing JobStreet is optimistic the Philippines may have hit rock bottom in the number of jobless citizens of 27 million to date as it saw an increase in job postings on its portal.
In the last six months, the business process outsourcing (BPO)/call center industry and government have emerged as the top hirers on JobStreet.
“We can see a trajectory….growing and improving in terms of the number of companies opening and can accommodate those who have lost their jobs,” said Philip Gioca, Jobstreet country manager, in a press briefing yesterday.
Gioca said the stimulus package for micro, small and medium enterprises under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act once signed into law, is also expected to drive employment for hardest hit sectors.
Gioca said based on Jobstreet data, 55 percent of businesses have been negatively affected by the new coronavirus disease 2019, freezing the number of new hires and temporarily or permanently laying off staff. About 38 percent of smaller companies had cut their employees’ pay.
While only 17 percent of workers were permanently retrenched, 43 percent have temporarily lost their jobs.
Those who lost jobs are in the ages of 18 to 24 mostly in the National Capital Region and Central Luzon.
Hardest hit are are tourism and travel; food and beverage; hospitality and catering; architecture, building, and construction; and the education sectors.
According to Gioca, most job candidates are looking for jobs that would enable them to work from home and hirers are adjusting accordingly.
“Hirers and candidates find ways to survive pandemic,” Gioca said.
According to Gioca, the listing of some 10,000 jobs in 700 public agencies on JobStreet’s portal has made the government the second top hirer after the BPO and contact center industry.
JobStreet in partnership with the Civil Service Commission is holding the first Online Career Fair on September 14 to 18 .
CSC commissioner Aileen Lizada said of the job openings, 2,706 are in Calabarzon and Mimaropa; 1,770 in Central Visayas; 1,586 in Western Visayas; 1,401 Northern Mindanao; 1,056 in Bicol; 1,052 in Caraga and; 1,008 in the National Capital Region.
The top the available job roles are deputy register of deeds, admin officer, attorney, accountant, procurement officer, among others.
In addition, JobStreet has 3,000 listings in the fair.
JobStreet.com currently services over 230,000 corporate hirers and over 15 million jobseekers in its database.