A certain Mr. Jobless writes to a major broadsheet asking for advice on how to get a job as he has never been employed since his graduation two years ago. He narrates that one employer has rejected him because the company needs a graduate of a technical-vocational course. His qualifications do not match the requirements for the job in the company. In other words, he is not qualified for the position he has applied for. This is the case of job-and-skills mismatch.
There are jobs but many vacancies remain unfilled because the job requirements do not fit the qualifications of the applicants. There exists a gap between the qualifications of the workers and the qualifications that the job requires, resulting to unemployment. According to the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics, of the 2.8 million unemployed Filipinos in October 2010, more than one million (1.186 million) are college graduates.
Interestingly, a 2007 Report by the Department of Labor and Employment says that there are occupations that are hard to fill in several industries. In the mining industry, for example, mining and metallurgical engineers are needed. In hotels and restaurants, there is a high demand for cooks, butlers and baristas. In cyber services or business process outsourcing, call center agents, medical transcriptionists and computer programmers are in demand. There are also hard-to-fill jobs in agribusiness, maritime, shipbuilding, construction, and wellness and medical tourism.
The DOLE Report goes to show that there are jobs available. The challenge is more on finding solutions to the job-and-skills mismatch problem. It is therefore highly reccommended to make an informed and wise decision on what degree to take in college. Why? Because making the right decision can make a greater impact not only on the direction of one’s individual career but also on the dynamics of the country’s labor market.
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