Hybrid job ads over ‘work-from-home’ seen as industry finds 'balance': Jobstreet

Applicants queue and sit for interviews at a job fair organized by the local city government to mark Labor Day in Marikina City, Metro Manila, Philippines, May 1, 2023. Rolex Dela Pena, EPA-EFE 

MANILA — As the Philippines moves forward from the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer companies are offering work-from-home arrangements while remaining open to a hybrid work setup, online job marketplace Jobstreet by SEEK said on Tuesday.

 Lewis Ng, the Asia Chief Operating Officer Jobstreet's parent company Seek, said this trend is not just seen in the Philippines but also across the region, as firms try to balance the preference of jobseekers and their own productivity goals.

 “The keyword 'work from home' is actually declining in our job descriptions but what we do see more of is hybrid working," said Ng.

"That just goes to show that companies and hirers are really trying to figure out what is the best for employees because many employees definitely have the preference for work from home but, as a business, many are finding that to increase productivity, there needs to be a balance."

 On the part of jobseekers, the platform said that "work from home" is still the most searched keyword. But Jobstreet by SEEK Philippines Managing Director Dannah Majarocon said Filipinos still grab hybrid work opportunities since they are the next best thing to what they are looking for.

 “Our anticipation is, this year, more hybrid options are going to come into play, and Filipinos are slowly also becoming more receptive to hybrid work," she said.

Work from home is most sought-after ‘benefit’: JobStreet

 According to Majarocon, employers are also compensating by coming up with other kinds of benefits for employees.

 “Hirers are now focusing on not just benefits surrounding work from home but other benefits surrounding mental health wellness, other opportunities that allow them to support non-traditional needs that candidates typically ask for,” she said.

 STRONG JOB MARKET MOMENTUM

 Overall, the recruitment portal said that the volume of hirers on the platform in 2023 had more than doubled from pre-pandemic times, making more jobs available for Filipinos. 

It expects this strong momentum to continue in the first half of 2024.

 According to the company's own surveys and studies, 61 percent of employers said they were confident that the job market will be more active this year. At least 71 percent of them also said that they plan to increase the headcount of permanent employees.

 “Malayong mas malaki na ang hirer base natin and ang volume ng trabaho na nakikita natin which also makes sense kasi bumaba nga naman ang ating unemployment rate sa nakaraang taon. And we anticipate that this is going to continue,” said Majarocon.

(We already have a bigger higher base and volume of jobs by far, which also makes sense because unemployment fell.)

 But she also noted that many continue to look for more than just one job.

 “There are a lot more active candidates. Hindi ibig sabihin na active ang candidate e talagang wala siyang trabaho. Marami ring candidates ngayon na actively naghahanap ng trabaho to see what the best fit is for them because we still have an underemployment challenge in the country,” she added.

(Just because a candidate is active doesn't mean he's jobless. Many candidates actively looking for work are seeing what's best for them because we still have an underemployment challenge in the country.)

More young Filipinos engaging in part-time work: firm

 The unemployment rate in the Philippines further declined to 3.6 percent in November of 2023, the lowest since 2005. 

But underemployed workers or those seeking higher income or better jobs with longer hours remained at 11.7 percent, same as the month before. 

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