Digital competency is in high demand, but so are soft skills, according to the 2019 Emerging Jobs in the Philippines Report by LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network.
The findings underscore the demand for jobs which require hybrid skills, primarily to help organizations in the country navigate their digital transformation journey.
LinkedIn analyzed millions of unique, user-input job titles from the last five years, and found that while the top five emerging jobs are related to technology, many of them require management and communications skills. Their actual roles are varied and diverse, reflecting a labor market that values talent with a hybrid set of complementary skills.
According to LinkedIn, the top five emerging jobs in the Philippines are Data Scientist, Application Development Analyst, Back End Developer, Full Stack Engineer, and Sales Development Representative.
“Our Emerging Jobs Report highlights the reality that new jobs are emerging more rapidly than at any other time in history. Traditional roles have evolved into hybrids that did not exist five years ago. While the top emerging jobs for Philippines are mostly related to technology, many of them require soft skills such as management and communications skills, making them hybrids of new and traditional roles,” said Feon Ang, Vice President of Talent and Learning Solutions for APAC at LinkedIn.
Evolution of business process outsourcing (BPO) is driving the rise of hybrid skills
While there have been growing concerns about automation taking over routine tasks and affecting the jobs of low-skilled BPO workers, it is also enabling the BPO sector to evolve and move up the value chain, seeking core skills such as big data, data analytics, cyber security, blockchain, digital commerce, and fintech. With the rise of knowledge outsourcing, more organizations will offer more complex services, prompting the need for hybrid talent with both soft and hard skills who can communicate their unique value to clients and build lasting customer relationships.
Both established organizations and start-ups drive demand for tech talent
Ongoing digitalization in the public and private sectors has contributed significantly to the increased demand for jobs in tech. At the same time, the Philippines’ emerging startup scene is also contributing to the demand for tech talent. Startups in fintech, agriculture, retail and engineering, among others, require tech expertise to help them build innovative products that solve local market problems and make people’s lives better.
Foster and develop the right talent, focus on skills instead of titles
The demand for digital talent is fast growing but is comparatively low in supply. LinkedIn’s data speaks of how the Philippines, like every other country, is facing a challenge in building its digital workforce. Companies are encouraged to look into providing opportunities for existing employees to upskill or reskill. In addition, the report also noted that HR and talent acquisition teams need to evolve and innovate the way they hire. As skills commonly associated with these emerging jobs evolve, hiring based on a candidate’s title is no longer adequate and accurate in filling these gaps.
The top skills for the five emerging jobs are:
Data Scientist (Data analysis, Python, SQL, R programming and Machine Learning); Application Development Analyst (SQL, HTML, JavaScript, Java, Cascading Style Sheets or CSS); Back End Developer (JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, Cascading Style Sheets and jQuery); Full Stack Engineer (JavaScript, PHP, MySQL,Cascading Style Sheets and jQuery); Sales Development Representative (Customer Service, Sales, Leadership, Management and Marketing).
“Digital competence, as we now know, is composed of a blend of hard and soft skills. This competition for talent will only grow fiercer, so organizations need to build an adaptable workforce. Real-time understanding of the demand and supply of skills, talent pools, and talent movement is the first step towards building talent intelligence at scale,” added Ang.
