JobStreet: Only 24% of employers are willing to hire K to 12 graduates

Less than a quarter of Philippine employers are open to hiring fresh graduates of the K to 12 program and still consider a college diploma as key factor to employment, JobStreet Philippines said Wednesday.

According to the latest report of JobStreet Philippines, only 24 percent of Philippine employers are willing to hire fresh graduates of the K to 12 program.

"Those who are not hiring noted that a college degree is still the priority," Philip Gioca, country manager of JobStreet Philippines, said in a press briefing in Makati City.

Employers who are willing to hire K to 12 graduates include players in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, manufacturing, professional services, retail, and machinery and equipment.

Jobstreet data showed 35 percent of employers are not hiring K to 12 graduates on the back of several reasons.

Among these reasons are: * Openings are for college graduates only

* K to 12 graduates are not qualified to fill the vacant positions

* No openings for the position * Insufficient work experience * Forty-one percent of employers said they are still indefinite when it comes to hiring fresh graduates of the K to 12 program.

Sixty percent said they are still evaluating the readiness of the company to hire such graduates, while 40 percent said they will eventually hire K to 12 graduates but have not yet set a definite timeline.

Under the K to 12 program, the Philippine education system was integrated into the 12-year basic education scheme from the 10-year pre-university cycle which is now implemented in only two other countries in the world.

The first batch of Grade 12 graduates are expected this year.

This means an additional 800,000 individuals would be joining the workforce, Gioca said. This would be on top of the 500,000 to 600,000 college graduates each year.

As a result, K to 12 graduates would be competing with college graduates for employment opportunities.

Gioca noted the government needs to step in and prod employers to give K to 12 graduates a chance to get employed.

“I think they have to intervene so employers will actually hire them,” he said.

“We know that the important criteria for hirers are attitude, problemsolving, communication, and analysis, so sa interview palang, kailangan i-practice mo na ‘yun,” Gioca said.