CURRENT TRENDS AND

STANDARDS OF
EMPLOYMENT IN THE
BUSINESS INDUSTRY
ZANDRA ANN A. NADONGA, MA RPM
Introduction

 In the Philippines, education is regarded as an investment that affords

them a way of poverty
 It is seen as the key to improving the quality of life, the primary means for
social and economic elevation
 Thousands of young university or college graduates can be seen lining up
in job fairs around the country in search of elusive employment
opportunities
 Studies have shown that the experiences of new entrants to the labour
force have a profound influence on their future social, economic and
behavioural fortunes (Green et al., 2005)
Employability of Graduates

 Employability emerges as a crucial contributor to career success

 Hillage and Pollard (1998) developed a broad definition that involves 3 main
elements:
a. The ability to gain initial employment, which creates an interest in how the
education system deals with the “key skills,” career advice and an understanding
of the world of work
b. The ability to maintain employment and engage in “transitions” between
jobs and roles within the same organization that would allow one to meet new
requirements
c. the ability to obtain new employment
 For the individual, employability depends on the knowledge, skills and attitudes
they possess, the way they use those assets and present them to employers
and the context (e.g., personal circumstances, and labour market
environment) within which they seek work
“Employability” from the Employer’s
Perspective
 It is the tendency of graduates to exhibit attributes or characteristics that
employers foresee as necessary for the effective functioning of their
organization in the future (Harvey et al., 1997)
 “Self-theories” characterized by confidence, optimism, and the belief in
their ability to make a difference
 The following are some of the attributes looked for in their potential
employees:
1. communication skills
2. good listening and typing skills
3. high IQ
4. considerable EQ
5. strong confidence
6. persuasive skills
7. people skills (nurturing and caring attitude)
8. discipline
9. customer-orientation
10. civic skills
EMPLOYER’S EXPECTATIONS

 For Multinational Companies having an International Standards, new

graduates necessitate additional 5 – 6 months’ training

 COMMON JOB MISMATCH:

a. Graduates’ qualifications do not meet the needs of the employers
b. Divergence between the graduates being produced and the type of
jobs available (i.e. Many nurses were found working in call centres
HOW TO ADDRESS MISMATCH BY
EMPLOYERS
 Establish linkages with the academe in selected HEI (Higher Educ.
Institution) and provide update on current trends, developments and
standards in the field that neet to be incorporated into the curriculum
 Open up internship opportunities for students (school-work transition)
 Benchmarking with other institutions, corporation and agencies
 Sponsoring a scholarship
 Faculty development program
Comparison of job considerations between employed
and unemployed graduates (UNESCO, 2009)
EMPLOYED UNEMPLOYED

Reason Mean Reason Mean

Relevance to course 3.56 Starting Salary 2.83

Interest 3.89 Relevance to course 3.28
Prospect of attractive 4.22 Interest 3.44
compensation
Proximity to house 4.56 Prospect for career 3.63
advancement
Starting salary 4.78 Reputation of 4.06
company
Prospect for career 5.33 Potential for travel 4.26
advancement
Reputation of 5.67 Benefits package 4.41
company
Benefits package 7.33 Proximity to house 4.94
Recommended by 7.78 Regular schedule 5.11
family/relatives
Potential for travel 7.89 Recommended by 7.00
family/relatives
5 HR TRENDS IN 2018

 GOING DIGITAL- Paperless applications

 SHIFTING DEMOGRAPHICS - There will be an increased number of
Millennials entering the workforce which will bring about an influx of
creative, tech-savvy employees into the workplace. To retain and attract
top talent, organizations will need to change the way they operate and
maybe even eliminate certain practices in order to remain relevant
 REFERRALS RULE- As the saying goes, “Birds of a Feather, Flock Together”,
thus encouraging your top performing employees to refer former
colleagues and friends is a surefire, cost-effective way to attract high-
performing individuals to your organization. Rather than taking a chance
on a relatively unknown candidate, HR professionals are more likely to hire
candidates that have been referred by existing or past employees, thus
reducing the risk of hiring an ineffective or unsuitable employee.
 FREELANCERS AND PART-TIMERS- Recruiters in the information technology
(IT) and creative industries will most likely be hard-pressed to attract and
retain top-talent as the new generation of workers (Millennials) are no
longer motivated by financial remuneration but by issues like job
satisfaction and work-life balance
 EMPHASIS ON SKILLS – “work force optimization”
- skills training to be able to be cost-efficient