Do you believe the recent DOLE study?
By TheAdvocate
@TheAdvocate (2392)
Philippines
April 26, 2010 6:54am CST
A study done by the Department of Labor showed that employers still prefer college graduates - not necessarily from top schools. 80% of the respondents said that they would hire only college graduates. Only 3.9% preferred applicants with postgraduate degrees. Only 3.9% of the employers would hire college undergraduates. The study also showed that 93.49 pf employers do not have preference for graduates of specific learning institutes. Only 6% said they preferred applicants who graduated from top schools. More than 50% of those surveyed prefer applicants with 1-2 years work experience but 21.9% require 3 years of experience. Most employers prefer to advertise vacancies, with 20.6 preferring to do it online. Employers said 18% of the applicants screened have poor English language proficiency. A smaller percentage of applicants also lack computer and writing skills.
Do you agree with the statistics in this study by a government agency? Do you think the employers were truthful in their answers, or were they trying to be politically correct? I would love to hear your experiences in job-hunting related to the study.
6 responses
@maanrodriguez (604)
• Philippines
26 Apr 10
I think the problem really is not about the lack of jobs, there are loads and loads of jobs here in the Philippines. if you're in desperate need of one, you can land a job in a day, seriously. the problem lies with the fact that we, whether we admit it or not, are very, very choosy. I remember seeing one student rallying in the streets about how there are not enough jobs related to his course. hey if you want to earn money, then take whatever you can get. whoever said life was fair anyway?
@TheAdvocate (2392)
• Philippines
27 Apr 10
It depends actually on what you are doing. If you mean entry-level positions, I agree there are a lot of openings. However, there are also plenty of applicants. I have yet to meet an applicant who turned down an offer because it is beneath them. Most are actually grateful that they even get an interview. I have worked in several BPOs and they say this is a job-rich industry, and I have seen snaking lines for one position. When I go to the office, I always feel like I am outside an SM mall waiting for it to open.
@anne25penn (3305)
• Philippines
27 Apr 10
I turned down a job for a BPO because as I mentioned in my reply that the salary was insultingly low. They beggars can't be choosy, but if I accepted the job, that's what I would be. A beggar.
@maanrodriguez (604)
• Philippines
27 Apr 10
When I was still applying for a job, I have also turned down about five offers because of the measly salary. Just because one doesnt have a job doesnt mean there is a lack of jobs in this country. The fact that I was able to turn down several offers actually says that we have a wealth of job opportunities here.
What I was trying to point out was that a lot of Filipinos have been complaining about the lack of jobs, but the thing is there are a lot of opportunities out there, we just have this idea of what our jobs should be or how much our salaries should be, thus we dont consider these opportunities.
@TheAdvocate (2392)
• Philippines
28 Apr 10
I would think that employers give a premium for graduates from top universities for choosing their companies. These graduates will usually have several job offers, and so the company has to make sure that once they start working there, they will also stay.
@anne25penn (3305)
• Philippines
27 Apr 10
Yes, this study is correct. When I receive my job opening email from LiNa, almost every job requires that the candidate be a graduate from a four-year course. Now if its for a managerial position, they would not state that they prefer graduates from the top schools, but during the shortlisting they do that. Its sad that for the undergraduates who may perform better that the graduates get the night BPO jobs that offer insulting salaries. I should know, because the last BPO I was employed in gave salaries that I never imagined would be offered given the name of the company. I know of some BPO agents whose salaries are so low, security guards have higher salaries than they do.
@TheAdvocate (2392)
• Philippines
27 Apr 10
I would have to agree with the employers in requiring a four-year degree here in our country. We all know the state of our education. A high school graduate in our country is not really adequately prepared to join the workforce. I don't blame them for this requirement.
My beef really is their claim that only 3.9% prefer applicants from top school. That is an outright lie. Applicants from top schools are preferred. I was thinking that since this is a government study, the employers were probably scared of being told off.
So what BPO was this which gave such shameful salaries?
@aaaaaggieee (64)
• Philippines
27 Apr 10
I will believe this if the result is representative of all organizations, maybe they only asked call center agency or banks. It depends on the validity of the results.
@TheAdvocate (2392)
• Philippines
28 Apr 10
They surveyed around 6000 companies, or so they claim. There was no mention as to demography. I would suppose there would a lot of call centers thrown in given that we are next to India in this industry.
@aaaaaggieee (64)
• Philippines
27 Apr 10
I will believe this if the result is representative of all organizations, maybe they only asked call center agency or banks. It depends on the validity of the results.
@TheAdvocate (2392)
• Philippines
27 Apr 10
The study was conducted on 6000 companies. There was no mention of the demography. Chances are, since this is a BPO country, there would have been a lot of them as respondents.
@Saranggola (956)
• Philippines
28 Apr 10
Well I am an undergrad but as far as I know, when I tried applying for jobs they accept me since I have finished two years in college. Call centers accept those who at least had 2 years in college.
