Online hiring activity up in February, January — report

MANILA, Philippines — E-recruitment activities in the Philippines further picked up in the first two months of the year on the back of bullish outlook on the country’s economy, according to online hiring website Monster.com.

Based on data provided by the Monster Employment Index, which was released on Thursday, hiring sentiment in the country posted a year-on-year growth of 13 percent and 17 percent in January and February, respectively.

In February, the retail sector was the top industry in terms of online employment at 29 percent, higher than the 27 percent growth clocked in January.

HR and Admin roles, which booked a 29 percent hiring growth, were most sought after in the country followed by Finance and Accounts positions, which surged 26 percent.

“The spike in hiring activity at the start of 2018 comes as no surprise for the Philippines, given its overall positive hiring trend earlier in 2017, driven partly by positive investor outlook on the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals,” Abhijeet Mukherjee, Monster.com CEO in Asia Pacific and Middle East, said in a statement.

“Job-generating foreign direct investments, a key economic driver for the Philippines, also witnessed strong growth in January. This allows for businesses to expand and create more job opportunities across the country,” Mukherjee added.

On the flipside, the BPO-ITES sectors’ online recruitment activities significantly plunged -7 percent in February from -5 percent a month ago.

Recruitment of customer service professionals also slumped 5 percent in February.

The Monster Employment Index Philippines is a monthly gauge of online job posting activity.