Despite a slower increase in online job hiring in the Philippines in the second quarter of the year, the Duterte administration’s infrastructure initiative under the “Build, Build, Build” program may improve the state of online recruitment in the second half of the year, according to Monster.com.
In the Monster Employment Index (MEI), online hiring increased 12 percent in the second quarter of the year. However, on a quarterly basis, online hiring declined 3 percent.
“The Philippines had an overall solid second quarter with year-on-year growth, but couldn’t exceed or match the strong performance exhibited at the beginning of the year. However, all signs indicate
a healthy second half of the year when it comes to online recruitment,” Monster.com said.
Based on the MEI, the retail industry exhibited the most notable annual growth, while business- process outsourcing/information technology witnessed the steepest decline in the second quarter.
However, Monster.com said the government’s commitment to increase infrastructure spending boosts the country’s chances of improving online recruitment in the second half of the year and succeeding years.
It added that the high business optimism in the Philippines of up to 82 percent in the second quarter is a good indicator that firms remain confident about the country’s economic prospects, despite the slower economic outlook for the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia in 2018 of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. This outlook stems from weak exports and slower than expected implementation of infrastructure projects.
“Although it may not meet the government’s [growth] targets, the Filipino economy is performing well and on a solid growth trajectory, which is reflected in a steady demand for talent and online recruitment activity,” Monster.com said.
The MEI is a gauge of all online job posting activities in the country, recording the industries and occupations showing the highest and lowest growth in recruitment activity.
It is a monthly gauge of online job-posting activity, 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 Philippines.
While the index does not reflect the trend of any one advertiser or source, it is an aggregate measure of the change in job listings across the industry.