ONLINE hiring rose in September compared to August, according to an index compiled by online job postings company Monster.com.
The Monster Employment Index (MEI) had a reading of 100 points in September, against 98 in August and 96 in the same period last year.
The retail sector registered the biggest hiring gains at 21% year-on-year.
“Strong macroeconomic fundamentals and rising disposable income have attracted many foreign retail brands to set up shop in the Philippines. This has propelled economic growth as well as created more jobs across this sector,” Sanjay Modi, Monster.com Managing Director of Asia and the Pacific and the Middle East, said in a statement.
“While the economy and the job market are showing signs of recovery, professionals and fresh graduates must not discount the affects of AI and automation, reforming all aspects of the workforce and must constantly upskill to remain relevant in a highly competitive market,” Mr. Modi added.
Following the retail sector’s gains were the logistics, courier/freight/transportation, import/export and shipping segment, in which hiring grew 18% year-on-year.
Hiring by information technology, telecom/internet service providers rose 15%; banking, financial services and insurance expanded 13% ; and advertising, market research, public relations, media and entertainment gained 8%.
Meanwhile hiring in the health care sector fell 5% year-on-year to its lowest level since April.
The education sector, as well as the consumer goods/fast-moving consumer goods, food and packaged food, home appliance, garments/textiles/leather, gems and jewellery sector, both saw hiring decline 1%; business process outsourcing/information technology enabled services fell 2%; while engineering, construction and real estate dropped 5%.
Software, hardware and telecom professionals were the most sought during the month with a 12% rise year-on-year while demand for health care professionals dipped 6%.
This Monster Employment Index is a monthly measure of online job posting activity, and measures recruitment trends across industries and occupations. – Janina C. Lim
