Philippines’ Hiring Landscape in August 2026: foundit Insights Tracker

Overview of Hiring Activity

he foundit Insights Tracker for the Philippines rose 22% year-on-year in August 2026, easing from July’s 41% print but still running well above trend. Some of the annual gain reflects a softer comparison base — August 2025 was among the weakest months of last cycle. On a month-on-month basis, activity fell 7% against July, giving back the previous month’s rebound and taking the index below its June reading. 
 
The near-term trend has slowed. The index is up 6% over three months and 15% over six. Breadth has flipped sharply too: after eleven of the twelve monitored industries, not one advanced in August, with only Consumer Goods/FMCG holding flat. 
 
The country’s underlying macro drivers — domestic consumption, remittances, and public infrastructure spending — remain intact, and most industries and functions the tracker follows still sit above their August 2025 level. BPO/ITES has slipped below its year-ago level for the first time this year, with the industry association keeping its 2026 workforce forecast on hold as it assesses how AI is reshaping entry-level roles. 
 

Hiring Trends Report for Philippines Aug 2026Download

Hiring Trends by Industry (YoY change) 

12 of the 13 industries tracked by the Index stayed above their year-ago level in August 2026, led by Logistics, Education, and Advertising. BPO/ITES turned negative for the first time this year. 

In demand 

• Logistics, Courier/Freight/Transportation & Shipping (+25%) The clear leader. Freight, warehousing, and last-mile hiring have carried the sector through 2026 on the back of sustained e-commerce and trade volumes. 

• Education (+14%) Seasonal intake at the start of the academic year drove demand across schools and higher-education institutions. 

• Advertising, Market Research, PR, Media & Entertainment (+13%) Continued brand and digital-platform spending kept creative, content, and campaign hiring elevated. 

• Retail (+10%) Steady consumer demand and omnichannel expansion supported hiring across stores, fulfilment, and customer-facing roles. 

• Engineering, Construction & Real Estate (+9%) Infrastructure execution and industrial construction pipelines continued to underpin technical and project-management hiring. 

• Hospitality& Travel (+8%) Growth sits comfortably above last year, supported by tourism and food-services activity. 

• Production/Manufacturing, Automotive & Ancillary (+7%) Steady industrial output kept factory and shop-floor hiring in positive territory. 

• IT, Telecom/ISP (+5%) Selective but meaningful demand for digital, cloud, and platform-engineering roles. 

• Consumer Goods/FMCG (+5%) Modest but consistent hiring across staples-linked categories. 

• BFSI (+3%) Digital banking, risk, and compliance roles supported a softer but positive gain. 

• Health Care (+2%) Cleared its year-ago level only narrowly, with hiring for clinical and support roles steady rather than expanding. 

 
Facing challenges 

•  BPO/ITES (-5%) The sole industry to slip below its year-ago level, and its first negative annual reading in 2026. The industry association has kept its workforce forecast for the year on hold while it assesses how AI is absorbing repeatable entry-level tasks; the balance of demand has shifted toward higher-value capability-centre roles rather than voice work. 

 
Hiring Trends by Functional Area (YoY change) 

8 of the 11 functional areas tracked by the Index registered year-on-year growth in August 2026, led by Software, Engineering, and Hospitality roles. Marketing, Customer Service, and Sales slipped fractionally into negative territory.

In demand 

• Software, Hardware & Telecom (+18%) The strongest functional performer. Demand for application development, analytics, and data engineering continued to draw hiring into global capability centres. 

• Engineering/Production/Real Estate (+16%) Sustained infrastructure and industrial construction activity supported hiring across technical, site, and project-management roles. 

• Hospitality & Travel (+12%) Positive alongside its parent industry, with staffing demand carrying over from the summer season. 

• Medical Roles (+10%) Clinical and allied-health hiring stayed firm on structural workforce needs across public and private care. 

• Purchase/Logistics/Supply Chain (+10%) Aligned with the freight and warehousing build-out visible on the industry side. 

• Finance & Accounts (+7%) Steady if slower growth, with analysis, audit, and compliance roles in capability centres remaining sought-after. 

• HR & Admin (+3%) A modest positive close to the annual gainers. 

 
Facing challenges 

• Marketing & Communications (-1%) Slipped fractionally below its year-ago level after a summer campaign push tapered. 

• Customer Service (-1%) A narrow annual dip, as seasonal ramp-ups fade and AI-linked deflection continued to trim voice workloads. 

• Sales & Business Development (-2%) Frontline commercial hiring stayed cautious, with firms holding off on broad-based expansion. 

About the foundit Insights Tracker 

The foundit Insights Tracker (fit) Philippines (formerly the Monster Employment Index) is a monthly benchmark of online hiring activity across the nation. By analysing millions of job postings, fit provides timely, data-led intelligence on recruitment trends across industries, occupations, and skill categories, helping organisations and talent navigate an evolving labour market.