IT, accountancy top job generation prospects

ATTENTION incoming college freshmen: If you want to be sure of landing a job after college, take a course on information technology (IT), hotel and restaurant management or accountancy. This was the advice of Jay-Jay Viray, managing director of an online recruitment portal company.

Based on current hiring trends, Viray—who works for the Hong Kong-based company JobsDB—the jobs in the three fields will be in demand four to five years from now.

“Your career is your growth and everything is based on perception,” she said.

Viray noted that the international hotel and restaurant management industry is on the rise here and abroad. She said that industry is assuming the track of the business process outsourcing industry, which experienced high growth rates during the past years.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) also sees a projected 16-percent increase in the number of jobs in the said field by 2016.

Meanwhile, Beyond.com’s Career Trend Analysis states that almost 13
percent of all jobs posted online are listed under the field of IT.

Information technology spans a wide variety of areas that include processes, computer software, computer hardware, programming languages and data constructs, among others.

While the field is very broad, it is essentially focused on the use of computers and the development of means to securely share information electronically.

Moreover, Cindy Ortiz, president of the Association of Certified Public Accountants, told The Manila Times that the country is currently experiencing a scarcity in accountants because of the consistent demand of other countries for such professionals.

At present, there are many job vacancies in accountancy and that it will remain with the growing economy of the Philippines, according to Ortiz.

The BLS, on the other hand, cited that many fresh graduates have a hard time securing jobs because of the disparity between the skills required by a position and the educational background of the applicant. Often, an applicant’s capabilities do not meet the standards of employers.

Nonetheless, Viray urged fresh graduates not to be frustrated. Her advice is for applicants to try for as many jobs as possible, take the first one that is offered and make the most out of the position to hone skills and gain experience. Once the ideal job comes along, the skills and experience gained from the first job will come in handy. –SHEIRENE MAE T. FAVILA SPECIAL TO THE MANILA TIMES, Manila Times

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