ONLINE HIRING in the Philippines rose 3% in the July to September period on the back of expectations that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) would maintain a steady growth next year, a report by job hunt website Monster.com said.
In its Monster Employment Index report releaed on Friday, the hiring firm said the per-month annual increase in hiring activity in July was at 18%, in August at 18% and in September at 17%.
“With the Philippines’ GDP growth expected to remain steady at 6.7% in 2019, according to a report by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), as well as increased government spending and public investments, there are positive signs of economic growth in the country,” it said.
The report showed that hiring activities among freelancers in the country saw the biggest growth in the engineering and production sector at 41% month-on-month increase, followed by customer service at 7% and marketing and communications at 5%.
Monster.com flagged, however, that the general elections next year may cause an adverse effect to the country’s economic performance. Citing a report by S&P Global Ratings, it said “a political shift in the Philippines could create uncertainties for already planned infrastructure projects….”
“Although economic prospects are set on a slight but steady upward trend, the outcome of next year’s general election could put a hold on the Build, Build, Build programme initiated the Duterte government and change this trajectory, as the past has shown that newly elected presidents have often delayed their predecessors’ projects,” it said.
The job listing firm also called for the government to keep looking at market opportunities in the region that would help keep its growth momentum, such as the rising e-commerce business in Southeast Asia. It said it is important to keep investing on infrastructure that would improve mobile and internet connectivity “to ensure their internet economies remain on positive trajectory.” — Denise A. Valdez

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