No one knew how life-altering the COVID-19 pandemic was during the beginning of the year, and college seniors are just a handful of people whose lives were very much impacted by the coronavirus.
On spending what would have been the last sem of her senior year in quarantine, “I tried to tell myself that this is practice for me when I begin a new chapter of my life,” Franny Balburias, a senior Communication student from Ateneo de Manila University, said. “I would have wanted to end my college life and cheer career on other terms, but I guess this (is) okay, too. It helps me ease into the new things I’ll have to get used to.”
The next challenge these fresh graduates face is finding a job in this climate. You might feel slightly discouraged, but with some research, portfolio tweaking, and upskilling when you have an opportunity, it’s definitely not impossible to land a job this year.
In a virtual briefing held by JobStreet Philippines, as featured on GMA News, country manager Philip Gioca revealed the top industries hiring amid the coronavirus pandemic:
◦ Call center / IT-enabled services / Business process outsourcing (41%)
◦ Government jobs (15%)
◦ Education (9%)
◦ Banking / Financial services (4%)
◦ Computer / Information technology – software (4%)
◦ Healthcare / Medical (3%)
◦ Property / Real Estate (3%)
◦ Retail / Merchandise (3%)
◦ Manufacturing / Production (2%)
◦ Transportation / Logistics (1%)
According to a separate report , Gioca also enlightened the public on the employment situation for entry-level jobs, based on their data. “We have to understand that 3.1 million fresh grads are actually the first line of defense in terms of jobseeking, so they will be looking for jobs and continue to strive,” Gioca said.
◦ Medical officers – P59,353 (478 available jobs)
◦ Technical support representatives – P23,000 (735 available jobs)
◦ Teachers – P22,316 (3,343 available jobs)
◦ Call center agents – P22,000 (4,989 available jobs)
◦ Engineer (network, electrical, data, industrial) – P21,700 (482 available jobs)
◦ Nurses – P20,754 (931 available jobs)
◦ Customer service representatives – P20,500 (2,090 available jobs)
◦ Sales agents/ sales executives / sales associates – P19,500 (664 available jobs)
◦ Data analysts – P16,500 (387 available jobs)
◦ Admin assistants – P13,019 (1,072 available jobs)
So while these trying times have made job hunting a lot more challenging than it usually is, you
can rest assured that opportunities remain abundant. The key is knowing where to look and how
to prepare yourself for the search.
This article was originally published on esquiremag.ph/money/industry. Minors edits have been made.