DOLE: 1 M jobs await new graduates

MANILA, Philippines – Over a million jobs await new graduates and other jobseekers, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) maintained yesterday.

“Some say there are no jobs in the country. That’s wrong. In the information technology – business process management sector alone, industry players are targeting 1.19 million direct employment this year. The sector is well poised to meet this target at the rate the IT-BPM is growing – which is faster than the national economy’s growth rate,” Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said.

Human resource firms have cited a mismatch in the country between job opportunities and available skills, saying that out of every 1,000 job applicants, only 10 would likely be hired.

Baldoz said the IT-BPM’s contact centers alone will have about 225,000 new job vacancies this year, while the health outsourcing subsector – the fastest growing subsector in the IT-BPM in terms of employment – is aiming to hire 100,000 workers.

The labor chief said the IT-BPM sector is recognized worldwide, not just for its ability to create and provide jobs, but more so for enabling government, other businesses, and institutions to achieve higher productivity and competitiveness on a sustained basis.

Baldoz said the country’s pool of human talents is one of the primary attractions for foreign investors to set up shop here.

Contrary to popular belief, Baldoz said the IT-BPM sector is not merely composed of contact or call centers.

“Over the years, it has evolved and expanded to include global in-house center, IT outsourcing, healthcare outsourcing, and creative outsourcing. Thus, jobs in the sector are varied, both in voice and non-voice services and in areas of specialization,” she said.

Baldoz added that DOLE has enhanced Phil-JobNet, the government’s official job search, job matching, and labor market information portal, enabling jobseekers to find employment faster.

She said jobseekers will be delighted at the portal which could be accessed on a 24/7 basis for free. 

Phil-JobNet now has a mobile phone-friendly web application system more responsive to optimal viewing.

It also offers interactivity for easy reading and navigation, and has been improved with more efficient features and functionalities.

Baldoz said jobseekers can use their social networking accounts such as Facebook and LinkedIn, to access the enhanced Phil-JobNet which has advanced search functionalities that filter vacancies by location, industry, company name, salary, and type of employment.

Phil-JobNet can now also provide applicants feedback on the results of their job interviews, upload certificates and licenses as well as receive email alerts on job matches, updates and announcements.

From Jan. 1, 2016 to March 4, 2016, Phil-JobNet generated a total of 155,280 job vacancies from various industries in the country.