News Asean

IT graduates paid highest in Philippines

INFORMATION Technology (IT) graduates are paid higher in the Visayas than their counterparts in any other region in the country, online hiring firm Jobstreet found in its 2016 Visayas Salary Report.

IT fresh graduates are paid an average of P23,017, which is at least P1,000 more than the P22,567 national monthly average in the same field.

After IT fresh graduates, the next highest paid workers in the Visayas are customer service representatives, who get paid more than P18,000 a month, hospitality-related jobs (P17,000), marketing and business development (P15,000) and finace-related jobs (P14,000).

The Visayas Salary report, which is now on its third year, was determined using the average salary of all specializations per position level, based on actual job postings of employers on Jobstreet.com.ph from October to December 2015. The basic salaries reported do not yet include other forms of compensation such as leave credits, medical leaves and incentives.

“(IT graduates in the Visayas) received the highest pay because most of the IT jobs and IT specialists here are concentrated in the BPO industry,” said Seek Asia regional marketing operations manager Yolanda R. Buyco in a press conference yesterday. Jobstreet is part of online employment marketplace Seek Asia.

Buyco said the BPO companies generally command a higher pay versus other employers.

The Jobstreet report further revealed that salaries in the Visayas improved by seven percent across all position levels, from entry level, junior executives, supervisory to managerial positions.

Across all these position levels, IT-related jobs in the Visayas take home the highest pay.

On the other hand, the report revealed that the customer service representative position is the “most in-demand” job in Central Philippines, where four out of 10 job postings come from this sector. Retail and manufacturing are second and third most in-demand jobs.

A Jobstreet nationwide survey also showed that graduates from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) were the most favored employees this year, a surprising result after beating big names like University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University.

Buyco said a Jobstreet survey for the most favored schools in the Visayas did not take off due to a small sample size.

The official instead advised fresh graduates and employees to review their competencies and undergo trainings to broaden their knowledge. For those looking for their first job, they can apply where there are most job openings.

She said job hunters must set realistic salary expectations, as they are due for disappointment when they set it too high.

She also assured that there are many jobs available in the Visayas.

“Realize that not only are there career opportunities in the Visayas, but they are competitive in terms of salary vis-a-vis jobs in other parts of the country,” Buyco said.