In this episode of B-Side, multimedia reporter Brontë H. Lacsamana taps the ideas of Philip A. Gioca, the country manager of online job portal JobStreet Philippines, against a backdrop of digitalization and automation threatening to transform many people’s jobs.
Though efforts of such private and public institutions do empower workers, Mr. Gioca posted that it will take a change of mindset for the Philippines to truly adapt to the changing work environment. Work-from-home and hybrid setups, which have muddled the lines between one’s work space and personal space, also require mental health support.
He explained that 53% of employees now prefer a remote work setup while 41% would rather move to a more affordable location, such as in the provinces, to save more.Future-proofing the workforce to withstand automation. In September, leaders from the Philippine business process outsourcing industry revealed partnerships with the Department of Information and Communications Technology to upskill employees in order to address industry demands.
Online training service Coursera, for example, committed in 2021 to more partnerships with Philippine businesses, schools, and government to build accessible, mobile-friendly learning experiences, after recording 85% year-on-year growth in the Philippines. When it comes to what kind of training is needed, hard skills like coding, programming, and updated know-how in technical industries should definitely be improved, but soft skills have become in demand too, according to Mr. Gioca.