Online hiring activity remains robust in Oct

Online hiring activity in the country rose by a quarter in October on the back of government efforts to attract investments and boost tourism, according to employment website Monster.com.

The Monster Employment Index (MEI) showed overall online hiring sentiment in the country in October jumped by 25 percent year-on-year as 11 of 12 industries posted double-digit growth.

“The Philippines has always counted on the services sector as one of the strongest and fastest-growing pillars of its economic growth. Government estimates show that the share of the service sector in the country’s gross value added contribution has been increasing over time, nearly touching 60 percent last year,” said Abhijeet Mukherjee, chief executive officer of Monster.com for APAC and Middle East.

“With the government making efforts toward boosting tourism and attracting investments in HRD, research and development, finance and infrastructure, there is bound to be an uptrend in hiring, especially for related professions,” Mukherjee said.

For October, the healthcare industry recorded the highest increase with 41 percent, followed by retail with 39 percent.

Other industries such as BFSI (banking, financial services, and insurance), IT/Telecom and advertising also saw robust double-digit growth numbers of 26 percent, 23 percent, and 22 percent, respectively.

The only industry that saw a decline in hiring activity in October was education which fell eight percent.

The MEI is a gauge of online job posting activity compiled monthly, recording the industries and occupations that show the highest and lowest growth in recruitment activity locally.