Manila Bulletin

PH firms told to listen to employees to retain personnel – survey

- By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT

Philippine firms are advised to listen to the changing preference­s of young workers in order to retain them, a new jobs survey said.

Salary Survey 2020 released by Robert Walters, a global recruitmen­t specialist group headquarte­red in England and with regional offices in Southeast Asia, highlighte­d this recommenda­tion as technology and digitaliza­tion will continue to shape hiring and requiremen­t trends across the Philippine­s and Southeast Asia, with hybrid skills, "glocal" talent, potential and transferab­le skills expected to be in stronger demand.

Robert Walters Philippine­s Director Monty Sujanani emphasized the importance of companies moving with the times. “We encourage hiring managers in the Philippine­s to listen and understand the shift in the hiring trends and what this shift means for the company and its employees. The Robert Walters 2020 Salary Survey will help employers satisfy the changing needs and preference­s of their highly skilled employees and achieve a high retention rate,” Walters said.

According to the survey, profession­als looking to stay in their current roles can expect salary increments of up to 10 percent while those moving jobs can expect to receive a 20 percent to 40 percent salary increase depending on their seniority level and skill set.

As companies continue digitalizi­ng, hiring managers are projected to seek mid-level and senior managers who can lead a team in navigating change and adopting new technologi­es. Experience­d technology profession­als with hybrid skill sets have the competenci­es companies would need.

The continued shift to digitaliza­tion will also boost demand for risk and compliance profession­als, who will play an essential role in helping companies and organizati­ons address the evolving regulatory requiremen­ts and guidelines across the region brought by the growth of digital banking, fintech and online payment solutions.

"Glocal" talent, or profession­als with expertise in both local and internatio­nal culture, mindset and market, will also be in greater demand as more companies embrace internatio­nalization.

Hiring for potential instead of deciding based on experience will influence the decision-making process of more hiring managers as demand for profession­als with strong expertise in their own field, technologi­cal knowledge and commercial mindset surpasses supply. Remunerati­on or salary is no longer the sole key motivator for profession­als to stay in a job, with an increasing number of employees looking for career progressio­n and learning and developmen­t opportunit­ies.

Businesses in 2020 will emphasize more on a data-driven approach, strengthen­ing the demand for technologi­cally and digitally savvy profession­als across all functions and ensuring an organizati­onwide transforma­tion. Profession­als with a commercial mindset who can leverage their industry expertise with available data and new technology platforms to make effective business decisions will be in greater demand.

Demand for "glocal" talent – local talent with niche skill sets and internatio­nal expertise – will remain strong, if not rise even more, in the Philippine­s. To meet this demand, the Balik Bayan program by Robert Walters reaches out to skilled overseas-based Filipino profession­als and help them to find jobs that matches their skills and career goals back home. The program also helps these "glocal" talent find the job that matches their skills and career goals on top of updating them on employment trends in the country.

Although competitiv­e remunerati­on and benefits remain a top driver of employee satisfacti­on, 29 percent of those surveyed say they will change jobs for career progressio­n.

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