The Philippines Job Market

The Philippines Job Market

If one is interested in working in the Philippines, they should take note of some aspects of the job market in this country. For a beginning, the Philippines job market has undergone a lot of transition from its early days. Previously, it was mainly about agricultural products and services. As such, a lot of the workforce in the country was into agriculture. We all know that this approach has its limitations as agriculture and its returns mainly depend on the available demand both locally and abroad. However, as the world changed towards technology and the services, the Philippines was one of the countries that saw the early need to shift its focus. Value-addition became the priority as was evidenced by the focus on manufacturing and the services. It is easy to see that these industries have grown by leaps and bounds and now employ the largest number of people.

1. Hopes of a Bright Future

The Philippines did not suffer as much as the rest of its Asian counterparts during the economic slump of 2008. During this economic slump, the economies that suffered most were those were invested in financial instruments as most of the currencies of the world recorded tremendous damage. However, during this period, the Philippines was in a transition period from an agricultural to a manufacturing and service-based economy. Although it did not record growth while the rest of the world was in a slump, it did not suffer as much damage as the rest of her neighbors. In fact, the rate of unemployment has been consistently falling from 2004 with 2010 recording a low of 7.3%. This rate of unemployment is lower than most nations in the world hence a gleam of hope for those seeking jobs in this country.

2. Entry for Expats

Although the Philippines always give priority to the local pool of talent, there are those who come to this country for the sake of jobs. A majority of the expats to the Philippines come here with jobs that are already lined up for them. It is easier in this way given that the company importing the talent will take care of the visa and other issues with the immigration process. Without this, it may get complex getting into the Philippines and securing a job. First of all, priority is always given to the Filipinos who have the right skills for the available jobs. Secondly, most of the jobs available in the Philippines can be filled with local talent thus coming from abroad and trying to enter this market may get difficult. Thirdly, unless you have an exceptional skill that most Filipinos lack, you would not fare on well here.

3. Jobs for Expats

Although priority is given to the Filipinos with the needed skills, it is not all gloomy for those from abroad. Not everyone will come with a job already made for them in a company. If expats arrive in the country, they can compete with the locals on fair terms and will be given a chance to contribute to the development of the economy like everyone else. It all depends on the skills they have and where they intend to work from. For the most part, the expats to the Philippines are known to work in call centers and the teaching of foreign languages. Given that English is not the first language for most Philippines yet call centers are among the most popular jobs for the economy, English speakers (and generally people speaking foreign tongues) find jobs to teach the Philippine populace how to be fluent in these languages.

4. Fatter Wallets

As the economy grows so do the salaries in the Philippines, grow. Compared to a few years ago, the average Philippine employee earns a lot more than they did. This growth in the salaries and the economy has been the result of the increase in the manufacturing and services industries in which tremendous growth has been realized. For a start, business process outsourcing (BPO) has seen the Philippines take the second position worldwide only behind India. In terms of the call centers, the Philippines is already the first in the world. The only dampening news is that those working in call center support, IT professionals, and tech support workers still earn less than their counterparts in Europe, Canada, the Us and Australia. One should not be discouraged due to this aspect as the salaries for these professionals are among the highest in the world at the moment and will only keep rising.

5. Finding Work in the Philippines

Whether you are an expat or a local, there are various avenues you can put to use to get the right job for yourself. The secret to finding the right is job is to be persevering and consistent in your search. You just do not know when your dream job will come up. Also, it is better to find a job that you can work at while you wait for your dream job since everyone begins from somewhere before they land the corner office. Always ensure you keep searching when you have no job or are not satisfied with the current job. Whatever you do, do not find a job and decline it since you never know where it will lead you to. We have compiled a list of jobs which will be filled by anyone with the needed skills.