JobStreet: Pandemic might change PH workforce

by Manila Standard, 21 Apr 2020

The COVID-19 has revealed the good, the bad, and the ugly side of companies from all around the world.

In the Philippines, the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine has been extra challenging for businesses. Mandatory home quarantine is not feasible for every industry.

Daily wage earners were left with no choice but to stay at home with limited resources to provide for their family. Healthcare workers have been obliged to report to hospitals despite the risks while other employees have been forced to go on no work, no pay holidays.
Since the implementation of community quarantine, there have been drastic changes in the workforce.

Online job portal JobStreet.com believes there will be many changes that are to become the new normal post-ECQ. Here’s what companies can look forward to after this pandemic is over.

1. More companies will consider the work-from-home option

Remote work is the future—and we are seeing it now more than ever. Because of the mandatory home quarantine, most companies have been forced to shift their gears and adopt digital ways.

Telecommunication has become a practice for most industries. This is aligned with the desire of 47.8 percent of Filipino employees who, based on data from JobStreet Laws of Attraction Data Lab, want the option to work from home.

2. Employees will start looking for additional benefits

The pandemic has highlighted challenges in certain industries that could not shift to remote work, such as BPO, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, and good and beverage. Since there are barely any digital solutions for these industries, the best thing companies can do is to provide better benefits for their workers.

Aside from mandatory government benefits, medical and insurance coverage for both the employee and their families is a must—especially for those who cannot afford to work from home.

Based on JobStreet Laws of Attraction Data Lab, Filipino workers find mandatory government benefits (94.6 percent) and insurance (84.6 percent) as essential compensations. Meanwhile, 88.4 percent see double pay during public holidays, or in this case, during calamities, as a must-have.

3. Companies will start updating their leave policies

The lack of sick leaves has become a huge issue that came about with the COVID-19 outbreak. With Persons Under Monitoring (PUMs) needing to self-quarantine, most paid leaves have been used up even before symptoms arose.

Filipino employees want a company that has “excellent occupational safety and health reputation” or additional leave credits (63.2 percent).

4. More and more employers will revisit their CSR initiatives

According to the JobStreet Laws of Attraction Data Lab, 65.9 percent of Filipino employees want a company that “values and contributes to its people, not just profits.”

Several conglomerates have been in the limelight amid the COVID-19 pandemic for thejr corporate social responsibility programs. They supported our frontliners and daily wage earners through donations and relief efforts.

While SMEs aren’t exactly in the same position as conglomerates to provide magnanimously during crises, they can still use this opportunity to highlight their company’s mission and advocacies. If you own a small business, show the purpose behind your brand. Allow your employees to see how relevant their efforts are on the larger scale of things.

For more information about what drives Filipino employees, explore the JobStreet Laws of Attraction Data Lab through https://bit.ly/JobStreetLOA. This database compiles surveys from more than 18,000 Filipino candidates across 25 industries.