CEBU, Philippines - In any jobs fair event and employment service, the call center sector is one of the industries that have constantly been offering work vacancies to hopeful jobseekers.
Now, do you ever wonder why this industry always has jobs to offer?
Attrition, which means reduction in the number of workforce due to resignation and retirement is the biggest factor, a call center firm noted.
While a great number of people in the Philippines are looking for jobs as call center agents, there are a lot of individuals employed in the industry who are also leaving their careers every now and then, said Matthew Mark Manukil, senior executive for recruitment marketing and communications of Aegis People Support.
“Yes, call centers are hiring everyday but there are also people resigning almost everyday in the BPO industry,” Manukil told The FREEMAN in an interview.
One of the apparent reasons why these people leave the industry is the nature of work as they find the call center job as not really worthwhile for them; another is that some suggest suffering from ailments such as serious depression, and sleeplessness, among others.
Manukil added that majority of the people just tend to apply in the call center bringing with them the idea of “no choice” because of the urgency to work to gain financial capacity.
While others think applying for a BPO job is the easiest way to go because industry employers are not really keen on the educational background of the applicants but are looking more on the skills, the recruitment official added.
A case in point could be the seemingly crowded 67th Mega Jobs Fair where some call center firms participated in the event on Saturday at the Cebu City Sports Center. The fair was organized by the local government’s Department of Manpower Development and Placement and Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Manukil’s company was just one of the event’s 62 participating local companies that looked for employees in the various industries: manufacturing, retail, construction, sales and marketing, agencies, hotel and restaurant, tourism, BPO, insurance, personnel service, health and wellness, etc.
The senior executive shared that based on their past experiences, government jobs fairs would usually pose low passing rate among BPO applicants.
“It’s not because of how the government market it (jobs fair), but the thing is in government jobs fairs, most applicants tend to apply for jobs offered by malls and retail (industry),” he explained.
He further added that BPO companies employ people who have the ability to communicate in English and ready to work during long hours and at night.
In addition, there is also equal opportunity for high school graduates as they can also be considered in the industry for as long as they are 18 years old and above and have the skills.
Meanwhile, DMDP Chief Ma. Suzanne Ardosa told The FREEMAN that the event was actually an avenue for this year’s March graduates who are still looking for jobs to take advantage of the employment opportunities.
Although Ardosa believed that not all applicants of the more than 3,000 jobs could be hired, she advised them not to lose hope and instead build their own enterprise to earn a living.
Ardosa noted high school graduates should not feel frustrated and be confident that there are work benefits for them as they can apply for vocational courses and the government’s Alternative Learning System.
While it is important to stress the benefits that job fairs bring to both graduates and undergraduates and of the appreciated GDP growth of the nation, it is still a reality that joblessness has actually grown and remained a big challenge. (FREEMAN)