Philippines sees spike in marketing recruitment efforts: Monster Index

SOUTHEAST ASIA – Advertising and marketing professionals in Singapore and Malaysia could be in for a slower job hunt, as fewer employers have been posting online recruitment ads than last year.

On the other hand, industry professionals in the Philippines might find themselves with an abundance of jobs to choose from.

This is according to the latest Monster Employment Index (MEI), a monthly gauge of online job hiring activities across Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. The index records the industries and occupations that show the highest and lowest growth in recruitment activity.

Of these three markets, the Philippines is the only country to register positive growth in online hiring across advertising, market research, public relations, and media and Entertainment, with 33 percent year-on-year growth between July 2015 and 2016.

It is also the only country to show positive growth for marketing and communications roles with 9 percent growth – although they are still one of the country’s slowest growth occupations.

In Singapore, the industry reported no change in growth between July 2015 and July 2016. Marketing & Communications jobs remains relatively stagnant at -6 percent annually.

Malaysia has seen even more of a decline year-on-year in July 2016, registering -17 percent for the industry’s online hiring as a whole. The e-recruitment of industry professionals in the country has also seen a 10 percent drop year-on-year in July.

Sanjay Modi, MD of Monster for APAC and Middle East noted that it is “not surprising” that the e-recruitment of professionals in this sector is growing in the Philippines.

“The country is currently experiencing some of its lowest unemployment figures ever, with employers making the most of the booming economy to find and hire a range of talent across this creative industry,” he said.

Modi added that the situation remains a bit more negative in Singapore and Malaysia. While Malaysia’s reported declines are more severe than Singapore’s, both countries have been slowing down in online hiring across this industry for some time.

“There is still a demand for marketing professionals with niche skills, particularly across digital and e-commerce roles, but in a broader sense the figures may not change drastically for the remainder of 2016,” he said.

Advertising, Market Research, Public Relations, Media and Entertainment Sector:

Marketing & Communications jobs:

The Index does not reflect the trend of any one advertiser or source, but is an aggregate measure of the change in job listings across the industry.