THE FUTURE OF RECRUITMENT

46% of Filipino employees prefer a hybrid work arrangement; 28% want family remote

Despite a possible economic slowdown, 2023 remains to be a jobseekers’ market in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, according to SEEK, the parent company of Asia’s leading online employment marketplaces JobStreet and JobsDB. This is backed by findings from a new study, titled “What Job Seekers Wish Employers Knew: Unlocking the Future of Recruitment,” released by SEEK, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and The Network, a global alliance of recruitment websites which SEEK’s JobStreet and JobsDB are a part of.

The study — which surveyed 97,324 respondents in the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand — found that 34% of the talent surveyed are actively looking for a new job. In the Philippines, 40% of the respondents said they are not actively looking for a new job but are open to good offers including higher salary and upward career progress. Meanwhile, 33% of Filipino jobseekers are actively searching and are motivated by finding a role with higher seniority or trying out a new profession.

Talent feel confident to look out for new opportunities despite fears of recession as the majority surveyed are aware of their attractiveness to employers. In fact, the study found that 74% of talent around the region are approached multiple times per year about new job opportunities — and 36% of those are approached every month. Relatively, 87% of Filipinos receive multiple job offers per year, and 29% of those are approached every month.

In addition, Filipinos are more optimistic about judging their position in the labor market—78% feel positive and confident about negotiating positions, particularly in the areas of business, finance, and sales. This figure is slightly higher than the global average of 68%.