22 October is the date to remember if you’re hunting for a job in the Philippines. This day could mark a milestone in the way Filipinos find a job.
A new app from the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE), under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), that will aid job search is expected to launch on 22 October, at the National PESO Congress. It will be available for both Android and iOS users.
The app is touted to make job search both “faster” and “simpler” for Filipinos. Not to mention it is also an inexpensive and hassle-free way to hunt for a job.
The Newest Way to Search for a Job
This is the newest way to search for a job, says DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz in a press statement.
“These mobile gadgets have become our ‘go-to’ devices for a plethora of tasks,” adds Baldoz. The DOLE secretary reveals that more and more people—notably the youth—are now leveraging their mobile gadgets not only to “expand their networks” but also to “get a leg up on their competition”.
With the upcoming mobile app, Filipino jobseekers can look for jobs, view vacancy results, be notified of job fair schedules and browse DOLE-BLE publications that will be available in PDF format.
Jobless in the Philippines
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the Philippines’ unemployment rate to be 6.9% this year, reports The Guardian. The jobless rate for the country is not expected to budge significantly in 2015 and will be at 6.8% , the site adds.
This high unemployment rate is a stark contrast to the country’s “stellar” economic growth for the past 2 years, opines Inquirer. This phenomenon is what economists call “jobless growth” and one that afflicts developing countries like the Philippines.
Others who have written on the topic of unemployment in the country agree that it is an issue that must be solved. But “how exactly?” is the question the Philippine government must answer.
For most economists both here and abroad, the solution to the unemployment problem in the country lies in addressing “the need to promote a more appropriate balance between rural and urban economic opportunities”, Jose V. Romero Jr. of the Manila Times writes. This means to push for development of the rural sector or the countryside through investments, especially in small-scale industries.
This is echoed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in its publication titled Taking the Right Road to Inclusive Growth. “The Philippine economy’s chronic problems of high unemployment, slow poverty reduction and low investment are reflections of the sluggish industrialization,” quotes the Inquirer.
The ADB notes that the industrial sector—unlike the service sector (includes BPOs)—can provide more job opportunities to the poor. The ADB suggests both the government and private sector should put in more investments in education, skills training and infrastructure to boost the industrial sector.
Other Apps To Help Job Seekers
While waiting for the DOLE’s new job hunting app (and the government to solve the country’s unemployment problem), here are what’s currently available for Filipino job seekers to try now.
JobsDB Mobile App—JobsDB, an online recruitment network, introduced its app on November 2013. The JobsDB mobile app is available on iTunes and Google Play Store for free.
Monster Mobile App—Monster.com, one of the largest employment website in the world, also brought job search to mobile with its Monster for Mobile app. Users can perform a search for jobs and submit a resume via the app. The app is available for a wide range of devices running on not only the usual iOS and Android but also for Blackberry and Windows phones.
