JOBS PORTAL JobStreet said the call center and business process outsourcing (BPO) industries were top sectors for hiring in 2020 against an overall decline in the job market due to the pandemic.

In a statement Wednesday, JobStreet Philippines Country Manager Philip A. Gioca said, “In the past year, the total jobs in the market declined by 30% versus 2019, but JobStreet is hopeful that the job market will continue to recover, as companies are gradually hiring applicants.”

Based on hiring activity as of January, JobStreet said companies from the Call Center/IT-Enabled/Services/BPO sector were the most active in recruitment with 23% of the total job openings listed.

JobStreet said other industries that have been actively recruiting were Government/Defense (21%), Human Resources Management/Consulting (12%), Education (9%), and Computer/IT-Software (5%).

JobStreet said job listings rose about 3% quarter-on-quarter when the Philippines gradually eased its quarantine rules in the third quarter. The second quarter was the peak of the strictest form of the lockdown nationwide.

In the fourth quarter, sectors that posted sharp gains in job listings quarter-on-quarter were Aviation/Aircraft Maintenance (up 179%), Sales and Financial Services (94%), Merchandising (68%), Advertising/Media Planning (55%), and Biomedical (52%). — Gillian M. Cortez

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