Online recruitment in the Philippines decreased by 14% in March 2021 when compared to March 2020, according to data from the Monster Employment Index.

The Monster Employment Index (MEI) decreased to 125 in March 2021 from 145 in March 2020.

On a month-on-month basis, the Index recorded growth of 3%.

Online hiring demand in March 2021 exceeded March 2020 levels in three of the 12 industries monitored by the Index.

Logistics, Courier/ Freight/ Transportation (18%), IT, Telecom/ISP (10%) and BPO/ITES (4%) were the only industries to mark growth among all monitored industries in March 2021 from the year-ago level.

Hospitality (-44%), Retail (-30%) and Consumer Goods/ FMCG (-29%) saw the sharpest annual decline.

Annual online demand for professionals grew in one of 10 functional areas as monitored by the Index.

Software, Hardware, Telecom (7%) was the only sector to reflect growth among all monitored functional areas in March 2021 from the year-ago level.

Hospitality & Travel (-34%), Purchase/ Logistics/ Supply Chain (-31%) and HR & Admin (-24%) saw the steepest decline among others, year-on-year.

The Index is a broad and comprehensive monthly and quarterly analysis of online job posting activity conducted by Monster.

Latest data from the Philippines Statistics Authority showed the unemployment rate in the Philippines stood at 8.8% in February 2021, up 0.1% over the previous month.