Online hiring in PH grows 23%

Online hiring in the Philippines grew 23 percent in November from the same month a year ago, according to the latest findings of the Monster Employment Index (MEI).

MEI is a gauge of online job posting activity compiled monthly by Monster.com. It records the industries and occupations that show the highest and lowest growth in recruitment activity locally.

Among the 12 industries measured by the index, only education saw its numbers decline in November, dropping 5 percent from the same month a year ago. This, however, is slower than the 8-percent year-on-year drop seen in October.

Retail led the index with a 38 percent annual growth, sustaining an upward track since August last year, a statement from Monster.com said.

This was closely followed by healthcare, with a 33 percent year-on-year growth. Other industries followed, such as hospitality (26 percent up); banking, financial services and insurance (25 percent); and advertising (21 percent).

Abhijeet Mukherjee, CEO of Monster.com in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East, said this was in line with a report from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), which said that more than 800,000 new jobs were created this year.

Citing figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the DOLE said 826,000 jobs were generated for 2018. Employed workers totaled 41.16 million, 2-percent higher than the figure recorded last year.

“The consistently positive uptrend in online hiring recorded by the Monster Employment Index over the last few years is in line with this,” Mukherjee said.

“As the Filipino government continues its efforts to attract investments in human resource development, research and development, finance and infrastructure, hiring outlook looks positive, especially for related occupations,” he added.