Nursing, accounting, teaching, dog handling among 'hot jobs' for 2010

MANILA, Philippines - Nursing, accounting, teaching, and even dog-handling are just a few of the “hot” jobs that Filipinos should apply for next year.

Jayjay Viray, managing director of JobsDB.com, said while they see nurses and accountants again being in demand next year, there are other not so popular but surprisingly high-paying jobs Filipinos should consider as possible careers.

She said dog-handling and security-related jobs are third on their list of “hot jobs” for 2010.

“Just for the Middle East (Asia), we’re seeing a demand of about 10,000 dog-handlers,” Viray shared.

A dog-handler in the Middle East, Viray said, could get a monthly pay of as much as $2,500.

She said that the continuing global fight against terrorism and increased security consciousness are pushing the demand for dog-handlers, mainly those who handle bomb-sniffing dogs. “In the Middle East, security is a serious concern for many of the well-off people there,” Viray said.

She said even here in the Philippines, there is a demand for dog-handlers. “You see a lot of bomb-sniffing dogs in the malls and in buildings,” Viray said.

Topping their list of “hot jobs,” she said, are information technology (IT) workers, who “will still be the most in-demand locally and overseas.”

Viray said with many Internet businesses being put up and numerous companies going online to do their selling and promotion, the demand for IT employees will continue to be strong.

“Small business, big businesses are going to the Internet to promote their products,” she said.

Viray said the most sought-after IT workers are those skilled in search engine marketing and search engine optimization.

She noted that some of the jobs that are becoming in demand are those that look for skills that could be acquired by taking up short-term or vocational courses.

Viray said one can get a certificate in dog-handling by attending a short course that could last only six months.

For IT workers, one could be a computer technician by taking up a vocational two-year computer technician course.

“I recommend these short courses because they can be a quick path to a high-paying job instead of taking up four-year college courses that lead to jobs that are not in demand in the market,” Viray said. – Rainier Allan Ronda