HYBRID WORK. Jobstreet by SEEK Philippines managing director Dannah Majarocon delivers her speech at the launch of Jobstreet by SEEK at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City on Monday (Jan. 30, 2024). SEEK merges jobs marketplaces JobStreet and JobsDB in one online platform. (PNA photo by Kris M. Crismundo)
MANILA – Filipino jobseekers still prefer the work-from-home (WFH) arrangement despite many companies returning to normal operations after the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) lockdown.
“Work from home” is the top most searched keyword on Jobstreet by SEEK platform in the Philippines, according to managing director Dannah Majarocon on Tuesday.
"Work from home has definitely grown over the past couple of years spearheaded during the pandemic. And now that we've been transitioning out of the pandemic, the demand on the candidate side on work from home or hybrid work continues to grow... On the hirer side, hybrid work, remote work are still things that they are continuing to consider," she said during a media event at the Jobstreet by SEEK headquarters in Taguig City.
She said that with the demand for hybrid work scheme, some companies are looking to institutionalizing flexible work arrangement.
To attract jobseekers to work onsite, companies also compensate WFH arrangement with other benefits such as mental health wellness and opportunities, allowing them to support non-traditional needs that candidates asked for the past years, she added.
SEEK Asia chief operating officer Lewis Ng said many companies across Asia are still understanding and refining their approach to flexible working.
But compared to the Philippines, keyword search for “work from home” across the region is declining.
"We see a lot less explicit work from home arrangements in the job description but what do we see more of is hybrid working. And that just goes to show that companies and hirers are really trying to figure out what is the best for the employees, because many employees definitely have a preference for work from home," Ng added.
Meanwhile, SEEK has unified its employment marketplace platforms JobStreet and JobsDB, which are present in six Asian markets -- Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Ng said merging the jobs marketplaces in one platform will help in unlocking new innovations, such as artificial intelligence, being rolled out by Australia-based SEEK.
"What we're trying to do now with a new platform is provide a better experience for our users by providing better advice for our hirers in using our platforms and better matching so that candidates can find the right jobs that they want, as well," Ng added.
SEEK targets to attract 500 million jobseekers and five million companies in its platform by 2026. (PNA)
