by Mary Rose Sarmiento, @maryrose_TRL and Shiela Mae Talusan, @shiela_TRL | December 23, 2022
photo captured by Mary Rose Sarmiento
The Philippine government forecast a steady rebound in 2021 with the return of jobs lost during the lockdown despite the extreme unemployment rates brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. This indicates that potential employees, especially recent graduates from university affected by the pandemic, are expected to enter the employment market when economic restraints are eased. The latest unemployment rate in August 2022 was 5.2 percent. As the economy continued to recover from the effects of the coronavirus, the unemployment rate in the Philippines fell substantially from 8.1 percent in the same month a year earlier to 5.3 percent in August 2022. While, 2.68 million people were unemployed, down from 3.88 million in August 2021. The number of people who are employed has increased to 47.87 million from 44.23 million from the previous year. The number of employed people showed that the services sector had the highest percentage (59.9%), followed by agriculture (22.6%) and the industry sector (17.5 percent). From 63.6 percent in August 2021, the labor force participation rate rose to 66.1 percent in August 2022. The effects of the global crisis are still being felt by workers of all ages, particularly young college graduates who have had difficulty finding employment and financially constrained who lack adequate retirement savings.
photo captured by Mary Rose Sarmiento
However, in 1993, DOLE attempted to enhance high school graduation rates and graduate student employability through the SPES. The SPES strives to connect teenagers from low-income homes with official employment possibilities at respectable pay during their breaks, whether they are enrolled in school or not. Employers, both public and private, are given a 40% pay subsidy. In order to carry out the program, DOLE works in conjunction with the provincial and municipal Public Employment Service Offices (PESO).
On the other hand, some people think that retired seniors can reenter the workforce since they have the necessary skills and expertise. Furthermore, they put in more effort, are more dedicated to their profession, are more dependable, and take fewer vacation days. They believe that a multigenerational workforce can succeed with the help of many senior workers who are good team players.
Jobs and Education
Education is commonly important when searching for a job because it can have a big impact on your employment prospects at any level. Typically, more education leads to better competence. Education is one way companies can determine your qualifications before hiring you because some occupations demand for a core level of knowledge. More employment options emerge from higher education. Your level of education frequently determines the occupations that are attainable to you.
figures: students applying job, going to school, applying for scholarships/educational assistance
photo captured by Mary Rose Sarmiento
It is difficult to emphasize the importance of education when talking about employment and the job market. Although going through the grind of school isn't always pleasant, getting a degree can lead to careers that are more interesting, pay more, and are more fulfilling, which is important for both finding and retaining a job. The single most significant thing you can do to boost your work alternatives and earning potential, regardless of whether you are sure of what you want to do for a living, is to have a good education and background.
Who has less opportunity in job seeking? Fresh Graduates with no experience or Elder people with skills?
Finding a job in the Philippines has always been difficult, with little prospect of success. Therefore, there is no assurance that having a degree or set of skills will be adequate to meet the requirements.
The question of “who has less opportunity in job seeking? Fresh graduates with no experience or senior people with skills but not most qualified by age?” was put to the populace in Bulacan’s bustling city— Malolos.
photo captured by Mary Rose Sarmiento
Kuya Ryan, Ice Cream Vendor, says he thinks that both fresh graduates with no experience and elder people with skills find it hard nowadays to find job.
Out of the 7 respondents, 3 stated that is it primarily recent graduates who find it difficult to get employment because they lack prior work experience to draw upon. Another 3 responded that having “backers” inside the workplace is crucial for landing a job. The remaining 1 respondent said that it depends to the type of work on whether the applicant is seeking for a white-collar job or a blue-collar job.
“Sa tingin ko yung mga ano, yung mga fresh grad. Kasi kapag ka nag apply ang isang fresh grad sa blue color job, posibleng ma-over qualified sila if meron na silang experience. Syempre pahirapan din yan. makapasok. Depende sa resource ng tao sa isang kumpanya. Ang elder people talaga ang inferior in terms of blue color job. Tapos kapag naman white color job, syempre ang in favor diyan lalabas syempre yung mga may degree,” says by Jorge, 21, student at Bulacan State University.
Blue-collar workers perform strenuous manual labor, typically in the manufacturing, construction, mining, or maintenance industries. White-collar workers, on the other hand, can usually found on an office setting workplaces where their job mostly involve entail sitting at a desk in administrative, management, or secretarial capacities.
This is only a tiny bit of factors to take into consideration when applying for jobs. People who participated in the interview only expressed their views on the state of the nation in terms of labor-related issues. The conversation hasn’t brought up the standard age qualifications which also still has a long way for the Philippines.
Age with most unemployment in the recent years
In the Philippines, the Anti-Age Discrimination in Employment Act also known as the Republic Act 10911, prohibits the rejection of applicants solely on the basis of their age. This applies to all levels of government branches. However, the standard age qualification for non-governmental workplaces is between 21-30 years old only.
The economic shutdown of the Philippines due to the COVID-19 is one factor that is responsible for the series of unemployment in recent years. With 7.2 million unemployed people and a 17.6 percent unemployment rate overall in April 2020, the Philippine’s labor market was greatly affected.
Percent Distribution of Employed Persons by Sex and Age group for April 2020
Forwarding to the survey of Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the group age of 25-34 years old had the highest employment rates, with employment rates decreasing as people get older. It also revealed that men (61.9%) had a higher rate of employment than women (38%).
The employed groups were divided into three primary sectors which is the agriculture, industry, and services. With services accounted for 48.8% of the total, followed by the agriculture (33.8%), and industry (17.4%).
Percent Distribution of Unemployed Persons by Broad Industry Group: April 2020
Not just the Philippines are experiencing this. In reality, this is also relatable to Statista.com’s analysis of United States unemployment from 1990 to 2021, wherein they found that while the jobless rate for those between the ages of 14 and 24 reached up to 9.7% in 2021, it was far lower for those over the age of 45 with just 4.2%.
We cannot say with certainty that the government is doing nothing to address the issue of labor shortages. In fact, a number of special job programs have been developed by government branches to assist capable Filipino elder people in having a source of income, either by providing them a job project or financial assistance.
For instance, one of the government special job programs that offers employment is the TUPAD or the Tulong Panghanapbuhay para sa Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers that is commissioned by the DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment).
For at least three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon, people will be employed to work and perform duties that are sufficiently significant but not physically demanding. The compensation will be determined by the minimum wage in each region. This program was proposed in 2019, and is currently being implemented all around the country. A lot of Filipinos have already benefited from this program.
To most cases, getting a job in your 30s would need a lot of luck. It seems like the society is setting the people in their 20s to work harder than ever because having to start over in their 30s would be nearly impossible. When in fact, if you look round, there are many dedicated Filipinos who could accomplish more if they were not being restricted by their chronological age.
This isn’t how it should be. It’s not the same for everybody. Skills shouldn’t be based on one’s age.
What is the relationship between Job Satisfaction and Age?
As we age, our level of job satisfaction tends to rise, but it also tends to decline the longer we stay at a given position. According to psychological researchers Shoshana Dobrow Riza,Yoav Ganzach, and Yihao Liu,
"we demonstrated that age and tenure have opposite relationships with job satisfaction, such that job satisfaction increased as people aged yet decreased as tenure advanced — and received a boost when people moved to a new organization, thus starting the cycle anew"
Thus, there are some things to bear in mind when evaluating job applications for a position that is open within your company. These cover everything from the required knowledge and skills to the salary range for the employment. It also entails weighing the pros and cons of hiring recent grads against skilled veterans or seniors and determining whether you want to hire someone with skills or take a chance on someone who has minimal to no experience.
Older workers, somehow, tend to have higher job satisfaction, which may be attributable to the benefits of having a lengthy career, such as better pay, better benefits, and success at work.
photo captured by Mary Rose Sarmiento
Companies are continuously looking for experienced workers so that when they hire them, they won't be utterly unsure of what to do or how to act in a professional situation. This being stated, offices are not frequently eager to hire senior workers to their firms for a variety of factors, even though a little experience is highly wanted.
A common misconception among recruiters and recruiting managers is that older workers are less progressive, less able to pick up new skills, or have unrealistic compensation expectations. Age difference, however, is a notable problem that prevents certain workers from comprehending their goal or completely pushes them out. On the other hand, new hires who start their jobs right out of college need constant care and attention throughout their first few months on the job. While, if you choose a slightly more experienced candidate, you won't have to start their training from scratch because they will already be familiar with how things are done and even what is expected of someone in his position.
The fact that most workers would find it difficult to keep up with modern technologies is one of the most frequently used reasons against recruiting older personnel. Attempting to integrate cashier computing, virtual teams, and other digital features into the modern workplace can be challenging for more senior employees.
But when it comes to using new technologies at work, older employees are actually highly competent. And somehow, other companies are still considering hiring a senior crew.
Take a look at this 71-year-old service crew, Willie Baricawa in a fast food chain in Candon, Ilocos Sur.
photo courtesy of Andy Zapata/PSN
He was featured on Pilipino Star Ngayon Digital last December 12, 2022. According to the report, Mr. Baricawa has 13 grandchildren and a former employee at Candon City Hall and he was able to get this job in August 2022.
screen captured of Pilipino Star Ngayon Digital Post
Job satisfaction appeared to follow a cyclical pattern, with employees experiencing higher levels of job satisfaction when they first started working for a new company. However, as time went on, this boost tended to lessen until a person transferred to the next company. Thus, the overall improvement in the work satisfaction cycle began on average a little higher after each shift in employment.
References:
., . (2020, April 8). Is there an age limit for government jobs in the Philippines? FilipiKnow. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://filipiknow.net/is-there-an-age-limit-for-government-jobs-in-the-philippines/
., . (2020). Increasing opportunities for youth employment in the Philippines. 3ie. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://www.3ieimpact.org/evidence-hub/Evidence-impact-summaries/increasing-opportunities-youth-employment-philippines
Dobrow Riza, S., Ganzach, Y., & Liu, Y. (2016). Time and job satisfaction: a longitudinal study of the differential roles of age and tenure
Ernie Cecilia, D. P. M. (2022, August 18). Jobs: For seniors or the youth? The Manila Times. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/08/18/campus-press/jobs-for-seniors-or-the-youth/1855069
Friedman, A. (2021, November 5). The importance of education in finding a Job. The Classroom | Empowering Students in Their College Journey. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://www.theclassroom.com/importance-education-finding-job-1839.html
Pgldn, P. (2022, August 15). First batch of LDN-spes beneficiaries receive pay from PGLDN. Province of Lanao del Norte. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://lanaodelnorte.gov.ph/2022/08/16/first-batch-of-ldn-spes-beneficiaries-receive-pay-from-pgldn/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=first-batch-of-ldn-spes-beneficiaries-receive-pay-from-pgldn
Research , S., & 30, S. (2022, September 30). Unemployment rate U.S. by age 2021. Statista. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/217882/us-unemployment-rate-by-age/
Roxas, P. A. V. (2019, November 10). Special job program for senior citizens to be launched at pup. INQUIRER.net. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1188057/special-job-program-for-senior-citizens-to-be-launched-at-pup
Team, E. (2021, January 13). How does education affect employment rates? HR News. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://hrnews.co.uk/how-does-education-affect-employment-rates/
Viernes, M. M. (2020, November 11). Employment Situation in April 2020. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://psa.gov.ph/statistics/survey/labor-and-employment/labor-force-survey/title/Employment%20Situation%20in%20April%202020
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