The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reports that the services sector continues to have the highest number of job vacancies in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
The rise in such vacancies is related to the surging growth in tourism-centric businesses and its subsequent contribution to the regional economy.
Indeed, the services sector was the primary driver of CAR’s growth in 2024, with tourism-related services accounting for around 69.4 percent of the regional total.
More people are getting employed in the service sector
Citing comparative reports on key employment sectors within a five-year period, Imelda Romanillos, director of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in CAR, said services accounted for 68 percent of employment in the region in 2023, up from the 47 percent last seen in 2019.
Romanillos said: “This was primarily driven by the growth of the accommodation and food services, transport and storage and other service activities in the region.
DOLE regional data as of 2024 show that job positions with the most number of vacancies include service crew, accounts officer, customer service assistant, technical support, executive assistant, telemarketer, cashier, non-formal education teacher, and food server.
The preferred occupations among job seekers are mostly in the services sector: service crew, office clerks, administrative aides, domestic staff, heavy labourers, cashiers, housekeepers, and retail staff.
In a separate report, the Philippine Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) stated that around 25,585 scholarships, amounting to approximately US$10.2 million, were allocated this year to ensure a ready supply of qualified workers.
As of 31st March, there are about 1,470 approved scholarship slots, most of them allocated for Baguio and Benguet.
These scholarships are focused on skills training for tourism-related businesses like cafe work, bartending, cookery, housekeeping, front office service, as well as agriculture.
