BPO sector remains top industry in terms of job vacancies for 2011

Job opportunities in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector topped the list of vacancies posted by private sector employers in the online job matching system, Phil-JobNet, said Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baladoz in a statement Monday.

Reports from the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) showed that BPO job vacancies reached 39,281 as of end-September 2011.

Baldoz said this number affirmed the Philippines’s status as the BPO hub of the world.

However, that same report also revealed that the number of applicants for the BPO industry on Phil-JobNet do not match the high number of vacancies, with only 1,030 jobseekers applying for BPO positions from January to September.

“BPO companies continue to expand their business operations in the Philippines. On the demand side, from the year 2010 to the past three quarters of 2011, call center service workers hold the number one position in the vacancy list,” said BLE director Ma. Criselda Sy.

Baldoz said the government had already released a P1.1-billion stimulus fund to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), to develop qualified skilled labor in the five priority sectors. Of the amount, P500 million was earmarked for the development of “near-hires” in the BPO sector.

The Department of Labor and Employment chief also noted that TESDA aims to expand to key cities, to develop skills that will allow workers to qualify for the in-demand opportunities in the BPO industry.

The BLE report also revealed that customer service assistance positions had the second most number of vacancies on PhilJob-Net, reaching 16,589 vacancies as of end-September 2011. Domestic workers, carpenters, and drivers were also in-demand.

On the part of jobseekers, the report showed that most applicants on the system look for production/factory worker positions, which topped the list of sought-after occupations in the second and third quarters of the year. Professional nurses topped the list in the first quarter.

Phil-JobNet is the official online job portal of the government. According to a news release from DOLE, the website “fits the overarching aim of President Aquino in his 22-point policy platform on labor and employment.”

Baldoz advised jobseekers to carefully consider the career paths they prefer to pursue.

“Practically, students and trainees ought to meticulously study and consider in-demand but not oversubscribed courses and to opt for skills training, upgrading or retooling that would boost their competitiveness and employability,” Baldoz said.

“Our labor market information system, including the Phil-JobNet, is there to provide data that would assist them in making informed, confident decisions to build a productive future,” she added. — With Amando Lago/VS, GMA News