Overview of Hiring Activity
The foundit Insights Tracker (fit) for the Philippines rose 7% month-on-month in August 2025, reversing the July slowdown. Hiring stood 16% higher year-on-year, with the 3-month (+3%) and 6-month (+6%) trends also in positive territory, suggesting that employers are cautiously expanding headcount as macro conditions stabilise.
Hiring Trends by Industry (YoY change)
8 of 13 industries recorded annual growth in August.
In demand (YoY)
- Health Care (+27%) – Strongest gains, buoyed by sustained investment in hospitals, clinics, and insurers’ tech upgrades.
- Logistics, Courier/Transportation & Shipping (+19%) – Momentum continues as e-commerce and trade drive fulfilment and warehousing activity.
- Hospitality (+14%) – Solid rebound in leisure and business travel is boosting roles across accommodation and events.
- BFSI (+10%) – Hiring linked to digitisation, compliance, and risk initiatives.
- Engineering, Construction & Real Estate (+7%) – Gradual expansion mirrors capex and property-market upgrades.
- Production/Manufacturing (+4%) – Output growth and supply-chain normalisation support selective additions.
- IT, Telecom/ISP (+5%) – Steady demand as IT-BPM migrates towards higher-value software and data work.
Advertising/Media (-4% YoY but +4% MoM) – Early signs of recovery in creative budgets.
Facing challenges (YoY)
- Retail (-34%) – Hiring remains under pressure from weak discretionary spend and aggressive cost management.
- Education (-26%) – Budget rationalisation and programme resets weigh on teacher and admin demand.
- BPO/ITES (-15%) – Low-value, routine BPO tasks are increasingly being automated.
- Consumer Goods/FMCG (-1%) – Hiring is flat amid cautious consumption.
Hiring Trends by Functional Area (YoY change)
7 of 12 functional areas posted annual growth.
In demand
- Purchase/Logistics/Supply Chain (+30%) – Highest gains as firms optimise inventory and last-mile delivery networks.
- Software, Hardware & Telecom (+11%) – Ongoing cloud, data, and security projects drive demand.
- Marketing & Communications (+8%) – Brand-building and product launches spur selective hiring.
- Health Care (+8%) – Reflecting the sector’s overall strength.
- Engineering/Production & Real Estate (+7%) – Capex projects sustain recruitment.
- Finance & Accounts (0%) – Activity stabilising after earlier pullbacks.
- Customer Service (-5% YoY but steady MoM) – Demand holding up across services and travel.
Facing challenges
- Sales & Business Development (-22%) – Frontline roles remain subdued due to the dip in Retail hiring.
- HR & Admin (-18%) – Employers continue to consolidate support functions.
- Hospitality & Travel (-4%) – Growth soft despite upbeat tourism indicators.
Why the mixed signals?
- Macro stabilisation: Softer inflation and a measured policy stance support hiring, but caution persists on external demand.
- Sector rotation: Health care, logistics, and BFSI lead growth, while BPO/ITES and retail lag as business models shift and consumers remain wary.
- Efficiency focus: Even as overall activity rises, employers continue to favour selective, skills-led additions over blanket expansion.
About the foundit Insights Tracker
The foundit Insights Tracker (fit) Philippines, formerly the Monster Employment Index, is a leading guide to the country’s e-recruitment landscape. By analysing millions of job listings, fit delivers timely insights on hiring activity across industries and functional areas
