The biggest unemployment number is the age bracket of 14-24 to which the graduates belong. From these figures, one can conclude that the new graduates are finding difficulties in finding jobs.
Age Group of Unemployed Persons Percentage
15-24 49.2
25-34 30.3
35-44 9.6
45-54 6.7
55-64 3.5
65 and over 0.7
Total 100
* Source: National Statistics Office, January 2009 Labor Force Survey
Vicente Kilayko, Chairman of the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) Academe-Industry Collaboration Committee and concurrently, also director of an outplacement and career management consultancy company – Drake Beam Morin Philippines, Inc. said that PMAP believes unemployment is not only the result of the mismatch between jobs available to applicants and their technical skills, but also because the new graduates lack “behavioral competencies,” referring to their personal traits and qualities. He said that companies who are looking for new recruits find that some applicants’ qualifications do not match with what the companies need.
“We believe that past behaviors could determine future success,” said Teresa Miclat, human resource specialist for talent and organizational development of Fuller Life, a direct selling company. Miclat said they hire new graduates who have not found a career path for themselves yet.
An applicant, aside from technical know-how, to be “employable” would need to have the following:
1) Initiative: The applicant is willing to solve problems without waiting for anyone to tell him what to do.
2) Critical thinking: The applicant’s ability to think through a problem and analyzing a way to solve it.
3) Good communication skills: The applicant’s ability to organize his thoughts and present them in an understandable manner, and not just his ability to speak English.
As early as high school, the students should take into consideration what they would take up in college.
Most parents would push their children into taking up courses they are not inclined to. . Don’t expect a child to be successful if he/she does not like a course he/she graduated from.
Having high grades can show that a future employee is behaviorally competent. Good grades is especially important for graduates, since they don’t have that much work experience, yet. But behavioral competency is really learned outside the classroom.
However, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said in a statement issued March 25 that there would be enough employment for the remaining months if the new graduates would not be “choosy.”
But what if their skills do not match with the jobs available?
There are many jobs waiting to be filled, but people are not being hired because they fail in the technical skills required. “Like in BPO, even though they are college graduates, they fail in the ability to speak English,” Kilayko said.
Although Roque told new graduates not to be “choosy,” it does not mean that they should settle for the jobs generated by the government.
They have to go for what they want. Don’t expect to be successful if one does not have the aptitude and interest to pursue a certain career.
.
A student’s dream is the student’s source of interest. Interests help develop a person’s skills, technical and behavioral.
Good grades and great ideas can land jobs for new graduates.
With reports from ABS-CBN News Online
