COMPANIES are now open to hiring senior high school graduates although many still prefer college graduates, a Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) study said.
The PBEd’s 2024 Jobs Outlook Study dated July 10 revealed a “growing trend of employers hiring K to 12 graduates.”
The study, which covered 299 participants — 14 large companies and 86 percent micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) —, showed that four out of five firms are willing to hire senior high school graduates.
“The increasing willingness and readiness among employers are evident as almost half or 46 percent of them currently hire K to 12 graduates,” the report said, adding that large companies, or 63 percent, are more likely to hire compared with MSMEs.
“As the first cohort of full-pledged K to 12 students graduate this year, the study involving almost 300 companies nationwide underscores the potential of the K to 12 program to produce employable graduates,” it added.
The PBEd report said this is an improvement over a similar study in 2018 which found that only three out of five companies were willing to hire senior high school graduates.
The 2018 study also showed that only one out of five firms are ready with hiring policies for senior high school graduates.
However, the 2024 study showed that only 27 percent of entry-level jobs were projected to be filled by senior high school graduates as companies still prefer to hire applicants with college degrees.
“Employers expect K to 12 graduates to fill 27 percent of entry-level jobs, while college graduates are expected to fill 73 percent of these positions,” it said.
“Additionally, one out of five employers still looked for work experience among applicants, even for entry-level positions. Employers also cited lack of suitable candidates (53 percent), technical skills (27 percent), and soft skills (24 percent) as reasons for entry-level job openings in 2023 being unfulfilled,” it added.
The PBEd recommended reviewing the senior high school curriculum to “ensure its practical implementation.”
This, the group said, includes tailoring competencies to align with industry needs, strengthening work immersion, and providing better career guidance and labor market information.
“Likewise, industry leaders must also have a deeper understanding of the skills K to 12 graduates bring while setting clear and reasonable hiring standards as well as providing relevant training opportunities and upskilling programs,” it said.
“Addressing these gaps is essential for promoting equitable opportunities and enabling everyone to contribute meaningfully to the workforce and society,” it added.
To ensure this, PBEd said the labor market, government, industry and academic institutions need to work closely together.
The Department of Education has yet to comment on the PBEd study but it had already moved to review the K to 12 curriculum.
The upgraded K to 10 curriculum is already being pilot-tested in 35 schools in seven regions of the country but DepEd has yet to release the results of its review on the senior high school curriculum.
President Marcos Jr. has directed incoming Education Secretary Sonny Angara to prioritize improving the employability of senior high school graduates.
Angara is set to formally take over the DepEd post from Vice President Sara Duterte on July 19.
