Online job hiring in April continues on robust pace

Online hiring in the country continued to post year-onyear growth in April, driven mainly by recruitment activity in the retail sector, online employment website Monster. com said.

According to the latest Monster Employment Index (MEI), online hiring grew seven percent year-on-year in April.

The MEI serves as a gauge of online job posting activity. It shows the industries and occupations with the highest and lowest growth in e-recruitment activity locally.

For the month of April, the retail sector had the fastest growth in online hiring, recording a 33 percent yearon-year increase.

In contrast, the engineering, construction and real estate sector had the steepest fall in online hiring as it saw a six percent year-on-year decline.

In terms of occupational groups, customer service roles continued to lead in terms of online demand, posting a 30 percent uptick year-on-year in April.

Customer service has consistently posted positive growth since December 2015.

Sanjay Modi, managing director of Monster.com for Asia Pacific and Middle East, said the country’s labor market remains upbeat given strong domestic demand as well as the recovery of regional trade.

“The country’s young workforce is key and will play a pivotal role in boosting the economy, with local demand for workers in call centers and the business process outsourcing staying high,” he said.

He also said the job market is likewise expected to grow given the prospective inflow of investment worth $925 million from the Middle East following President Duterte’s visit.

The investment commitment from the Middle East is estimated to produce around 26,000 jobs in various sectors.

Monster.com is under Monster Worldwide Inc., which provides online employment solutions.

Apart from Asia, Monster Worldwide has presence in markets such as North America and Europe.