No need to go elsewhere; top-paying jobs are here

By: Marites Villamor Ilano April 12,2016 - 10:06 PM

Jobstreet.com compares salaries across the country. (Source: Jobstreet.com)

Jobstreet.com compares salaries across the country. (Source: Jobstreet.com)

Information technology (IT) specialists continued to be the highest paid workers in the Visayas and in the country last year, online employment marketplace Jobstreet.com said in a report.

Some IT employees in the Visayas across all position levels even earned higher than their counterparts in the National Capital Region (NCR), said Yolanda R. Buyco, regional marketing operations manager of Jobstreet.com parent SEEK Asia.

Customer service managers and junior executives in the banking/financial sector in the Visayas were also paid better.

Buyco presented yesterday the Visayas Salary Report based on actual job opportunities and basic monthly salaries posted on Jobstreet.com.ph from September to December 2015.

Four out of 10 job opportunities during the period were from the call center, business process outsourcing (BPO) and IT-enabled services companies. The total number of jobs grew 23 percent to 14,410 last year.

Compared to the same period in 2014, Buyco said there was an average increase of seven percent in the salaries offered by employers in the Visayas, especially to supervisory and managerial applicants, last year.

“There are not only job opportunities in the Visayas, but the salaries are also competitive vis-a-vis other parts of the country. In fact, some employees are better paid in the Visayas,” she said.

“So, no need to go looking for greener pastures. The Visayas is a very green pasture. Jobs are growing by double digits every year and salaries are increasing by at least seven percent every year,” she added.

Buyco, however, noted that salaries for customer service-related jobs have generally flattened over the last two years as more companies, especially in the BPO and IT-enabled services sectors, found ways to retain talents by offering more attractive benefits. This has caused the attrition level in the BPO sector to go down significantly.

“You cannot fight for talent for so long. You have to keep them, train and upgrade them,” she said.

Among the fresh IT graduates, those in the Visayas enjoyed the highest monthly basic salary of P23,917 last year. The national average for IT workers was only P22,567 while those in the NCR received P22,379.

For junior executives, those in the banking/financial sector in the Visayas earned higher at P27,468 compared to the P26,742 that their colleagues in NCR received.

Junior IT executives in the Visayas, on the other hand, were paid about P9,000 less than their NCR counterparts, who received P39,685. Those in the Visayas earned only P30,807.

For assistant managers and managers, those holding customer service-related positions in the Visayas were the highest paid, receiving a basic monthly salary of P76,015. The national average for this level in this sector was only P71,839 while those in the NCR earned only P61,736.

IT managers and assistant managers in the Visayas were still highly paid, receiving P82,188 while their counterparts in the NCR earned higher at P87,855.

Buyco said she hoped the report would be used by employers as benchmark for the compensation packages offered to employees.

“Huwag masyadong tipirin ang ating mga manggagawang Pinoy (Do not underpay the Filipino worker). After all, these employees will lead you to success so benchmark their salaries to our report,” she said.

She also suggested that salaries be reviewed every two to three years.

“Do salary re-calibration every two to three years to check whether the salaries are still competitive compared to what the market offers. By doing this, you will be able to keep your talents,” she said.

To job seekers, Buyco said there is a need to review competencies and undergo trainings to increase marketability. She also advised that job applicants set realistic salary expectations.

“Sometimes, we hear fresh graduates wanting to become managers or earn P50,000 right away. Be realistic. If you set high expectations, chances are you will be disappointed,” Buyco added.

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TAGS: BPO, Cebu, customer service, IT, jobs, managers, marketing

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