HYBRID skills are highly needed by the local labor market to fit in with new employment opportunities available in the country, the 2019 Emerging Jobs in the Philippines Report of LinkedIn said.
From the millions of unique, user-input work titles analyzed by the world’s largest professional network from 2013 to 2017, the top 5 rising jobs here are Data Scientist, Application Development Analyst, Back End Developer, Full Stack Engineer and Sales Development Representative.
LinkedIn discovered that, while the leading emerging jobs require competency to enable hiring companies in their digital shift, that majority of them need complementary skills.
Digitization in the Philippines is seen to account for P416.9 billion to the Philippines economy by 2022. “Our Emerging Jobs Report highlights the reality that new jobs are emerging more rapidly than at any other time in history. Traditional roles have evolved into hybrids that did not exist five years ago. While the top emerging jobs for the Philippines are mostly related to technology, many of them require soft skills such as management and communications skills, making them hybrids of new and traditional roles,” said Feon Ang, VP of talent and learning solutions for Asia Pacific at LinkedIn.
The top skills for Data Scientist include data analysis, Python SQL, R programming and Machine Learning.
An Application Development Analyst must be adept in SQL, HTML, Java Script, Java and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).
Meanwhile, knowledge in Java Script, PHP, My SQL, CSS, and jQuery is required for both Back End Developer and Full Stack Engineer positions.
For Sales Development Representative, a potential candidate must be competent in the areas of customer service, sales, leadership, management and marketing.
The study found that the evolution of business-process outsourcing (BPO) is fueling the rise of hybrid skills.
Even if there are concerns on automation taking over routine tasks and affecting the jobs of low-skilled BPO workers, it is also enabling this sector to evolve and move up the value chain.
This industry is seeking core skills, such as big data, data analytics, cyber security, blockchain, digital commerce and fintech.
Given the rise in knowledge outsourcing, more organizations will offer more complex services, prompting the need for hybrid talent with both soft and hard skills who can communicate their unique value to clients and build lasting customer relationships. What also contributes to the increased demand for jobs in tech are digitalization in the public and private sectors, as well as the emergence of start-ups in fintech, agriculture, retail, and engineering, among others.
The demand for such jobs is fast growing yet comparatively low in supply, thus, encouraging companies to look into providing opportunities for existing employees to upskill or reskill.
LinkedIn’s data noted that human resource and talent acquisition teams must evolve and innovate the way they hire. As skills commonly associated with these emerging jobs evolve, recruiting based on a candidate’s title is no longer adequate and accurate in filling these gaps.
“Digital competence, as we now know, is composed of a blend of hard and soft skills. This competition for talent will only grow fiercer, so organizations need to build an adaptable work force,” Ang said.
“Real-time understanding of the demand and supply of skills, talent pools and talent movement is the first step toward building talent intelligence at scale,” he added.
LinkedIn has more than 590 million members and has offices globally. In the Philippines; it connects over 6 million professionals and build a data-driven recruiting method.
