Online hiring activities continue to decline, but at a slower pace

MONSTER EMPLOYMENT INDEX

Online hiring activities in the country remained in the red last June although the rate of decline has slowed, the Monster Employment Index (MEI) Philippines showed.

The index, a monthly gauge of online job posting activity, posted a negative 32-percent growth last month compared to June 2014.

In a statement, Monster.com  said the decline was an improvement from the -43 percent reported year-on-year for May 2015.

“Slow online hiring in the first half of the second quarter can be attributed to the Philippines’ weak foreign direct investments, where figures have fallen by over 50 percent. The BPO/ITES sector – the best performing sector as seen in the MEI results – is set for growth with the continued support from the government,” the statement quoted Sanjay Modi, managing director of online job site Monster.com.

The business process outsourcing/information technology enabled service (BPO/ITES) sector was the only sector that posted a positive year-on-year growth since April. The production/manufacturing, automotive and ancillary industry, on the other hand, registered a year-on-year decline of 56 percent.

Among the jobs, customer service roles grew 10 percent year-on-year while engineering/production and real estate jobs declined 49 percent, its fifth decline since February.

“With the 2016 presidential elections coming up, online hiring activities are more likely to see greater improvement, as the new government is expected to boost Philippine economy, creating more job opportunities,” Modi said.

MEI Philippines is based on a real-time review of job posts on selected career websites and online job listings across the Philippines.