Overview of Hiring Activity
The foundit Insights Tracker (fit) for the Philippines climbed 4% month-on-month in September 2025, sustaining the positive momentum seen in recent months. Hiring activity now stands 21% higher year-on-year, supported by strong domestic demand and a rebound in services exports.
The 3-month (+12%) and 6-month (+8%) trends point to a robust and broad-based recovery, underscoring renewed confidence among employers across key sectors such as BPO, healthcare, logistics, and BFSI.
Hiring Trends by Industry (YoY change)
9 of 13 industries recorded annual growth in September.
In demand
- Health Care (+28%) – The sector led overall hiring, reflecting strong investment in hospitals, clinics, and health-tech services as private providers scale operations.
- Logistics, Courier/Freight, Transportation & Shipping (+22%) – Expansion in e-commerce and regional trade continues to generate demand for supply-chain professionals and warehouse operations staff.
- BFSI (+21%) – Banks and fintechs are hiring across digital, compliance, and lending functions to capture post-rate-cut growth opportunities.
- Hospitality (+17%) – Travel and leisure hiring surged, fuelled by sustained inbound tourism and the return of events and conferences.
- BPO/ITES (+13%) – The industry remains a hiring powerhouse, especially in AI-enhanced customer experience, digital support, and analytics roles.
- IT & Telecom (+8%) – Hiring rose steadily, driven by enterprise digitisation, cybersecurity, and cloud adoption.
- Engineering, Construction & Real Estate (+8%) – Ongoing infrastructure and property upgrades continue to support skilled roles in design, maintenance, and project management.
- Production/Manufacturing (+4%) – Gains reflect improving export orders and domestic consumer demand for durable goods.
Facing challenges
- Retail (−32%) – Hiring remains sharply lower as discretionary spending slows and retailers optimise store footprints.
- Education (−16%) – Institutional rationalisation and curriculum redesigns continue to weigh on recruitment.
- FMCG/Consumer Goods (−4%) – Hiring is cautious amid uneven consumption recovery.
- Advertising & Media (−2%) – Marketing budgets remain conservative despite modest month-on-month improvements.
Hiring Trends by Functional Area (YoY change)
8 of 12 functional areas showed annual growth in September.
In demand
- Purchase/Logistics/Supply Chain (+38%) – The strongest gains this month, reflecting surging logistics and e-commerce activity as firms enhance distribution efficiency and last-mile delivery capacity.
- Customer Service (+16%) – Hiring accelerated as BPOs and digital-first firms expanded client operations.
- Marketing & Communications (+15%) – Increased brand investments and consumer engagement initiatives supported creative and content roles.
- Software, Hardware & Telecom (+12%) – Consistent growth driven by IT modernisation and cybersecurity priorities.
- Engineering/Production & Real Estate (+8%) – Infrastructure and industrial activity continue to drive technical recruitment.
Facing challenges
- Sales & Business Development (−27%) – Weak consumer sentiment and automation in front-end sales continue to constrain hiring.
- Hospitality & Travel (−6%) – Despite broader sectoral recovery, frontline and support roles remain partially automated.
- HR & Admin (−5%) – Organisations continue to consolidate support functions amid productivity drives.
Why the upbeat momentum?
- Services resurgence: The Philippines continues to benefit from global outsourcing demand, particularly in AI-enabled BPO and customer operations.
- Infrastructure and logistics push: Public and private investment in transport, warehousing, and real estate is fuelling sustained job creation.
- Healthcare expansion: Rising private healthcare investments and digital health adoption are opening new employment avenues.
- Resilient domestic demand: Even as global trade fluctuates, consumption-driven sectors like hospitality and logistics are underpinning the labour market.
About the foundit Insights Tracker
The foundit Insights Tracker (fit) Philippines, formerly the Monster Employment Index, is a leading measure of the nation’s e-recruitment trends. By analysing millions of job listings each month, fit provides actionable insights into hiring dynamics across industries and functional roles—helping employers, jobseekers, and policymakers understand the evolving shape of the Philippines’ labour market.
