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Fresh graduates who land IT jobs in Cebu  earn more than in Manila

If you’re a fresh graduate in Cebu, the well-paying jobs in demand here are in the information technology (IT) and business process outsourcing  sector, according to a survey by online job portal JobStreet.com.

Work as a programmer, graphic designer and developer that requires computer sofware and IT savvy can draw a  salary of P25,000 a month.

One happy surprise is that Cebuano fresh graduates and junior executives in IT earn more than their counterparts in the rest of the country by as much as P1,500 a month,  said Yoda Buyco, marketing director of Jobstreet.com Philippines.

She shared highlights of the company’s 2015 Jobs and Salary Report based on data from their web site from January to March this year, released in time for graduation season.

One reason for the increase is that “Most of the companies in Cebu are major foreign companies that offer higher rates than smaller, local firms.”

Companies look for graduates who have communication skills and problem solving and analytical skills, are trainable, competent and tech-savvy, said the survey.

Employers also look for applicants who show willingness to learn, initiative, honesty and integrity in their work, self-motivation and confidence.

But employers have raised serious concern, said Eileen Camarillo, that the current crop of graduates  have poor communication skills, unrealistic expectations, tenureship problems, flexibility issues and unprofessionalism.

LESS ARTICULATE

“Employers have noticed that compared to the previous years, graduates today cannot articulate (their ideas) well,” she said.

“Some are also uncompromising about work hours and have increasing problems with professionalism, such as being late for interviews or not following company dress codes.”

Camarillo said that fresh graduates also tend to “job hop” or go from one employer to the next.

While this is understandable since fresh graduates are still gathering experience, she said, it becomes a disadvantage for companies who spend time and effort to train newbies.

The survey also asked employers how important a factor was knowing the school of an applicant.

Most companies still view the  choice of schools as important, but there was a six percent increase in those who consider schools unimportant.

More companies have become more open to hiring graduates from colleges that are “non-priority”.

The survey showed that three  are still considered “priority schools” by hirers in Cebu: University of Cebu, Cebu Institute of Technology and University of San Carlos.

Companies that hire now also expect graduates to have some corporate experience, said Camarillo. Fresh graduates who have gone through internships or have part-time jobs may have a better edge at seeking employment.

Jobstreet.com.ph encouraged companies last year to post internship openings along with employment listings, to aid students in gaining more experience.

The quantity of the talent pool is not a problem, said Buyco, answering a question about the search for talent.

“What causes the gap between the talent pool and jobs is the quality of the talent pool. The solution to this is for all of us working together to narrow the gap,” she said.

BPO TOP EMPLOYER

The BPO industry, which counts for almost 100,000 jobs in Cebu, remains the top employer, with jobs in customer service and IT-related positions offering a higher average salary than counterparts in Metro Manila.

The top specializations in Cebu also include jobs in Marketing, Manufacturing, Finance, Technical and Helpdesk support, Engineering and Customer service.

The higher salary for IT specialized jobs could be attributed to the lack of IT graduates in the country and high demand  which makes it a highly competitive market.

“The most in-demand jobs currently on the market based on the data from January to March of this year, are sales and customer service,” she said.

Other in demand jobs include those in healthcare, finance, clerial/administrative support, marketing/business development, engineering, human resource and food/beverage/restaurant service.

The outsourcing industry in Cebu remains the top employer that generates more jobs especially customer service and IT-related positions.

The survey looked at position levels of fresh graudates, junior employees , supervisors and managers.

Buyco said that the top paid job across all position levels  are IT specialists which includes software developers, network engineers, database administrators and more.

“Cebu Salary Report also reveals that the average salary of those starting their IT careers in Cebu is considerably higher compared to their counterparts anywhere else in the country including Metro Manila,” she said.

In Cebu, a fresh graduate specializing in IT or computer software earns an average of P25,438, which is P1,534 higher than the national average.

One reason for this could be that most of these companies hiring IT professionals are from the BPO sector and doing jobs for abroad.

The top three highest paying specializations in Cebu are the same for the rest of the country  includes a) IT/computer network, system, database administration and technical help desk support; b) manufacturing or production operations and marketing and  c) business development.

MOST IN DEMAND

The jobs most in demand are in sales and customer service.

According to Buyco, for fresh graduates the BPO is still the top employer which can can absorb as many graduates as possible followed by retail and real estate.

“This mirrors Cebu’s economic landscape. There are many retail shops now opening here and the real estate is booming so you need more sales people to sell the products and services,” she said.

Manufacturing and financial services like banking institutions and insurance companies are “staple” sectors which always post job vacancies.

Social media jobs are also slowly growing.

“We now see postings for social media officer and SEO (search engine optimization) link builders. This is a sector that we think we’ll see more of in the coming months,” she said.

The gap between the quality of graduates produced every year and the needs of industry still exists.

Buyco said that with at least half a million graduates every year the number is enough but matching this with what companies really need is a challenge.

“This is a multi-sectoral problem that will need the stakeholders including government, academe and companies to come together,” she said.

Jobstreet.com Philippines said it has 300,000 jobseekers listed in Cebu out of the 530,000 in the Visayas, 1,200 companies and an average of 5,000 jobs listed daily.

Buyco said they coordinate with the Deparment of Labor and Employment, which will get a copy of their report.

The online job portal claims to be the number 1 jobsite in the Philippines with over 20,000 companies and over 100,000 available job listings nationwide.