Here’s What Kalibrr’s CEO Has To Say About Unemployment in the Philippines

Kalibrr’s CEO Paul Rivera hopped onto CNN Philippines to discuss the different employment facts here in the country. Last Monday, he noted that, “We also see that the unemployment rate went down. We’re almost at pre-pandemic levels. We’re at 4.5%. And in September 2022, it was at 5%.” 

However, according to Rivera, jobseekers are still finding it to be a challenge to look for career opportunities. “The country doesn’t necessarily have an unemployment problem, but an underemployment problem where you have many jobseekers that have a college degree, but it’s hard to look or get a job that they are qualified for.” This underemployment issue has been a problem not only in recent times, but for the last 10-15 years. It is a constant issue of people seeking jobs, yet not finding enough to meet their economic needs. 

When it comes to inflation rates in the Philippines, the gig economy has boomed over the years. Many Filipinos look into taking on many different jobs and side hustles to make ends meet–especially online or remote work. “This is increasingly becoming popular with Filipinos so they can earn what they want to earn. They take on not just one full-time job, but a part-time job, or even an online job in addition to their full-time job,” said Rivera.

Now that the economy is slowly picking up, Kalibrr has a number of the highest in-demand jobs for people to look out for. The pandemic really spelled the difference for the Philippine economy. It became digitized, according to Rivera. From online shopping to online banking, Rivera commented, “The most in-demand jobs are in the IT, technology, e-commerce, logistics base in addition to the growth again in the hospitality and food service base. Those sectors bounced back.” IT and technology are the fast-growing sectors in the economy, as there are many jobs in this field that do not even require a college degree at times. 

Check out these jobs in IT and Software!

“This is an example of the mismatch that we’re seeing where you have a fast-growing sector of the economy that doesn’t necessarily require a degree, and then you have all of the people graduating with a degree who feel maybe they’re overqualified for those jobs,” Paul Rivera continued. In addition to this, according to Kalibrr’s data, the top in-demand job of 2022 is the role of the full-stack developer who builds software applications for people to use. This person does both back-end and front-end development.

“The amazing thing about the IT industry is that it is something that is skills-based and not necessarily degree-based.” Paul Rivera said that if one performs well in IT-based jobs yet does not have a college degree, that person should still be qualified and hired based on their skills. 

Rivera’s advice to jobseekers is that they keep their resumes and CVs up to date and to keep them modern. Employers look for excellent communication skills, critical thinking, problem skills, and relevant experience. For those who feel underqualified, Paul Rivera said, “Take on an opportunity to build on your experience in that field so you can put some accomplishments in your CV.” 

Rivera’s most anticipated part whenever he goes through a CV is a set of numbers. Evidence, metrics, and data that back up the claims and show the impact made during past career experiences. “It shows you made an impact in the company.” He also explained the importance of personalizing your resume. He said, “Give me a summary–an executive summary–of what you have accomplished, what skills you have been able to build, and what your vision is for yourself as a professional.” 

When it comes to interviews, Rivera likes to start off by asking the candidate about themself, as this gives them an opportunity to give the interviewer a rundown on who they are as a person. He also likes to know why the candidate left their previous job. Lastly, he often asks why they applied for the company. Rivera said, “I like to see that the person has researched my company, researched the role, and they’re not coming in blind.” 

If you are interested in matching your qualifications with your potential career, make sure to create your free Kalibrr account to explore more job opportunities. 

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Kalibrr is a recruitment technology company that aims to transform how candidates find jobs and how companies hire talent. Placing the candidate experience at the center of everything it does, we continue to attract the best talent from all over, with more than 5.5 million professionals and counting. Kalibrr ultimately connects these talents to companies in search of their next generation of leaders.

The only end-to-end recruitment solutions provider in Southeast Asia, Kalibrr is headquartered in Makati, Philippines, with offices in San Francisco, California, and Jakarta, Indonesia. Established in 2012, it has served over 18,000 clients and is backed by some of the world’s most powerful start-up incubators and venture capitalists. These include Y Combinator, Omidyar Network, Patamar Capital, Wavemaker Partners, and Kickstart Ventures.

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