While online hiring in the Philippines picked up in September, Monster.com warned Filipinos that jobs are still at risk from the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation.
The Philippines recorded a 4-percent annual growth in online hiring in September 2017 on the back of a 21-percent increase in Internet hiring in the retail industry.
Monster.com added that the Nikkei Philippines Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) inched up to 50.8 in September reflecting, “continued subdued” growth of the manufacturing economy, which can increase jobs growth in the country.
“While the economy and the job market are showing signs of recovery, professionals and fresh graduates must not discount the effects of AI and automation, reforming all aspects of the work force and must constantly ‘upskill’ to remain relevant in a highly competitive market,” said Sanjay Modi, managing director, Monster.com Asia Pacific and Middle East.
Apart from the retail industry, other industries that posted double-digit growth in online hiring in September were logistic, courier/ freight/transportation, import/export, shipping with 18 percent; IT, telecom/ISP, 15 percent; and banking, financial services and insurance sector, 13 percent.
Meanwhile, the health-care and engineering, construction and real- estate sectors performed the worst, with a 5-percent year-on-year contraction each in September.
Further, online hiring for the country’s business-process outsourcing industry posted a contraction of 2 percent.
The consumer goods/fast-moving consumer goods, food and packaged food, home appliance, garments/textiles/ leather, gems and jewellery and education industries posted a contraction of 1 percent.
In terms of occupational groups, Monster.com said software, hardware and telecom talent was most in demand with 12-percent year-on-year growth in online hiring in September. This was also the steepest annual growth witnessed since April.
However, demand for professionals in the health-care sector continued to plunge to occupy the lowest position among all occupational groups, at a 6-percent year-on-year decline.
This is according to the latest Monster Employment Index (MEI), a monthly gauge of online job-posting activity in the Philippines, recording the industries and occupations that show the highest and lowest growth in recruitment activity.
The data is based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from a large representative selection of career web sites and online job listings across the Philippines.
The index does not reflect the trend of any one advertiser or source, but is an aggregate measure of the change in job listings across the industry.
