Higher demand seen for tech professionals

MANILA, Philippines — The demand for technology professionals will remain significant in the country as the pandemic is expediting a shift toward digitalization.

During the launch of the Mapua Malayan Digital College (MMDC) yesterday, Jobstreet Philippines country manager Philip Gioca said tremendous demand remains for information technology people, not just in the country but globally.

Apart from IT, business management and analytics are also in-demand jobs that firms are looking for here and abroad.

Latest data from Jobstreet showed there are about 200,000 vacancies for IT including software, hardware and programmers in the Philippines.

“The challenge is that we lack the people. Those who finished tech-related courses are working for principals abroad despite living in the Philippines,” Gioca said.

He emphasized that opportunities for IT jobs command more than 50 percent higher in terms of salaries.

“Many companies are fighting tooth and nail for IT talents. Some are trying to scrape the barrel in terms of these kinds of talents,” Gioca said.

Gioca noted that demand for tech jobs could also help ease the still high unemployment rate in the country.

This as the future workforce is still expected to be a hybrid form because of the pandemic and how it fast tracked the digitalization space.

Meanwhile, Mapua University and Malayan Colleges Laguna launched a new college focused on technology and business.

MMDC is expected to be an affordable digital-first offering that delivers a cutting-edge online curriculum and offline experiences designed for the modern Filipino student.