Half, or one in two companies with primarily more than 160 companies reported their hiring plans are back to pre-pandemic levels, according to a report from JobStreet.

At the same time, 23% reported that their hiring will recover in the next nine months,

The report also found that overall, the employment market in the Philippines is bullish. The majority of employers are optimistic about the hiring in H2 2022. Nearly half, or 41%, of employers feel the job market will be more active for the next six months, the number rose to 66% for the job market outlook in H1 2023.

Large organisations are most likely to increase permanent full-time staff in the next three months.

The top three permanent full-time roles in demand included: IT (34%), sales / business development (28%), admin & HR (25%).

JobStreet data showed that 89% of companies have hired in the last six months (July to December 2022). Most, or 79%, hired at least one permanent full-time staff, while 20% hired at least one contractual / temporary full-time staff. Meanwhile, one in four companies laid off at least one employee in the past six months.

The top five permanent full-time job functions included: IT, accounting, Admin & HR, sales/business development and engineering. On the other hand, the top five temporary part-time job functions hired included: IT, admin & HR, transportation & logistics, sales/business development, and customer service.

“As we return to pre-pandemic conditions, the competition for talent will also increase given current global conditions. Companies need to be able to strategise on their talent attraction and retention to remain at the top of employees’ minds. This includes providing compensation, benefits, and other programs that can enrich the working experience,” said Philip Gioca, Country Manager of JobStreet Philippines.

Gioca said, “Additionally, for the Philippines, we foresee that human resource digitalisation which allows HR process transformation, will make companies stay competitive. Companies should consider what the employees need and want and be able to adapt to shifting expectations. This will be critical to attracting talent given the competitive labour market.”