JobStreet.com: Fresh Graduate Hiring Shows Shift in Preferences and Skills
Many of us are once was a fresh graduate. With
confident and a rosy outlook for life, we get battle-ready to look for a job
that is permanent and with security of tenure. While some are lucky to find one, not many are fortunate enough. Requirements and employers’ expectations are
hurdles to our dream jobs. With a batch of fresh graduates for 2018, mostly
with K-12 education, do you think hiring them will be any different this year?
In a survey conducted by JobStreet.com Philippines,
the country’s largest online job portal, involving 503 employers from various
parts of the country in February 2018 as part of its annual Fresh Graduate
Report, employers now claim that aside from an applicant’s attitude or work
ethic, they also place more consideration on communication skills and
analytical thinking as top considerations when hiring fresh college graduates.
This inclination toward interpersonal and 21st century skills showed
the shift in hiring new graduates.
During the official release of the survey held in Makati last April 18, 2018, these results only reflect that there's a marked shift compared to
2015’s top determinants which are experience-based qualifications—on-the-job
training, extra-curricular activities, and part-time work experience, which now
see themselves in the bottom ranks.
Furthermore, when respondents were asked to rate particular qualities they observed on their fresh
graduate hires, factors such as task management efficiency, leadership
potential, customer empathy, and analysis of situations averaged the lowest.
These ratings further reflect the preference of employers in hiring candidates who
have already developed interpersonal and 21st century proficiencies despite
being new to the workforce.
Top School Preferences Maintained
But despite these marked changes, employers
maintain their opinions on a topic most find traditional: the schools where the
hired applicants graduated from. This year, when asked if they have reasons for
sourcing employees from particular institutions, employers pointed out that
they believe in the schools’ reputation of producing quality graduates and
eventual employees.
The top three most preferred schools by most employers
surveyed are Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of the
Philippines, and Ateneo de Manila University. The inclusion of two schools
outside of Metro Manila — University of San Carlos (#8) and University of Cebu
(#9) also marks the first time tertiary institutions not located in the
National Capital Region make their appearance in the top ten list since 2014 .
Increased
salaries, opportunities
The report also indicates that fresh college graduates
can expect an abundant job market this year. In the last quarter of 2017 alone,
employers were bullish with 52,149 jobs available to fresh graduates—a 10%
increase from 2016’s 47,339.
The national average salary for fresh graduates
remains to be attractive at nearly Php20,000. The average of Php19,785 in the
last quarter of 2017 shows a slight increase from 2016’s Php19,437.
According to JobStreet.com, law graduates remain to
be the best-paid among the lot, with an average monthly salary of Php27,355.
This is followed by fresh graduates who take on roles in public
relations/communications, with an average monthly salary of Php24,675, and
those who specialize in creating content (i.e. content writer, foreign language
content translator, and junior technical writer), with an average monthly salary
of Php22,446. Thus, the highest paid are
more aligned towards content and communication-related jobs.
“This shows that more and more employers are opening
their doors to fresh graduates, presenting a significant shift in what employers
need in these increasingly digital world,” concludes Philip Gioca, JobStreet.com
Philippines Country Manager.
A new crop of
fresh graduates: K-12
It has been five years since the K-12 program was
implemented, and the first batch of graduates from this system are set to join
the workforce this year. The survey revealed that 25% of employers are willing
to hire, while 40% are indefinite about hiring K-12 graduates. The 40%
indefinite employers said they are still evaluating or will eventually hire
pending definite timelines.
For
employers who are open, the survey affirms this as a number of industries have
been identified as the most willing to hire K-12 graduates: BPO, manufacturing,
professional services, retail, and machinery and equipment; for entry level
jobs in administrative, customer service, sales and marketing.
With this non-committal attitude of employers, Mr.
Gioca advises the newest entrants of the job market to be more discerning and
strategic on their career planning. “There are indeed employers that are
receptive to hiring them, but they have to contend with two factors: One, that
not all employers are accepting of K-12 graduates as of the moment and two,
they will have to compete with fresh college graduates, which employers may favor
more, for the same jobs they are eyeing,” he pointed out.
In terms of salary, K-12 graduates may find
themselves sufficiently paid, as 50% of respondents said that they are willing
to pay their K-12 fresh graduate hires more than the minimum wage.
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