Inside the Headlines

Why Recruitment is Getting Harder Post Pandemic

In the Philippine labor market, recruitment has become more difficult primarily because worker expectations and employment structures shifted sharply after the pandemic. Filipino employees now place higher value on **flexible work arrangements, job security, health, and family time**, reflecting cultural priorities around *kapwa* and *pamilya*. Many professionals who previously accepted long commutes, contractual uncertainty, or high-pressure roles are now more selective, especially in Metro Manila and emerging IT hubs in the provinces. At the same time, a significant number of skilled workers either shifted to freelancing, remote foreign employment, or exited the workforce altogether, reducing the available local talent pool for traditional full-time roles.

Another major factor is the **globalization of Filipino talent through remote work**. Philippine-based professionals—particularly in IT, HR, finance, customer support, and creative roles—are now directly competing in the global labor market, often earning two to three times local salary rates from foreign employers. This has intensified wage pressures and increased attrition, especially for SMEs and local firms that cannot easily match international compensation. Compounding this is a persistent **skills mismatch**: while there is a large supply of degree holders, many roles now require digital, analytical, and systems-oriented competencies that education and training pipelines have not fully aligned with industry needs.

In this environment, recruitment challenges are no longer solved by posting more vacancies—they require **data-driven workforce planning and smarter HR systems**. This is where *MyPrimeHR* becomes critical. By serving as a **single source of truth for workforce data**, MyPrimeHR enables Philippine organizations to analyze internal talent supply, identify skill gaps, forecast attrition, and design targeted recruitment and upskilling strategies aligned with PRIME-HRM and modern HR standards. Instead of reacting to labor shortages, organizations can proactively plan, build, and retain talent—making recruitment more strategic, evidence-based, and resilient in the post-pandemic Philippine context.