Online job hiring up in March

MANILA, Philippines -  Online job hiring in the Philippines maintained its momentum in March, posting an eight percent year-on-year growth amid an improving domestic economy, an online research firm said.

Based on the latest Monster Employment Index (MEI), the March online recruitment figure represented a slight reduction from the 10 percent growth in February but has remained stable since the start of 2017.

“The overall stability in online hiring activity is testament of the country’s positive domestic economic growth. This has also driven job opportunities, raising the local standard of living and reduced poverty incidences,” Monster.com managing director for Asia-Pacific and Middle East Sanjay Modi said.

The business process outsourcing and information technology reported the biggest growth at 32 percent.

“The BPO sector remains one to look out for, as it stays on a positive growth track. This would likely drive growth in other corresponding sectors such as the real estate and retail sectors,” Modi said.

The logistics, transportation, import and export, and shipping sector also grew 22 percent.

Customer service roles saw a 22 percent year-on-year growth while the telecommunications sector went up 12 percent.

“The government’s pledge to improve current infrastructure, across various sectors, including education and healthcare to drive greater investment, would also mean stronger fundamentals for greater economic growth,” Modi said.

Meanwhile, engineering, construction and real estate sector declined five percent while hospitality and travel went down three percent.

The MEI 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 websites and online job listings across the Philippines.