OFFICIALS concerned with employment confirmed that today’s generation is driven by money.
Officials of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) and the Public Employment Services Office (Peso) said the “abroad mentality” of Filipinos is the reason why “brain drain” and job mismatch happen.
Degree courses perceived to bring in dollars, coupled with parents’ influence drive high school students to pursue these courses.
“There is a strong influence of parents and the dollar effect,” OWWA’s Delfina Camarillo said.
She added that because too many students wanted to take courses that are “in demand,” the employment sector could not absorb all graduates, resulting to mismatches or even unemployment.
Jobs at present require skills competencies, said PESO-Baguio manager Juvy Ballug. This is one of the reasons why Peso conducts coaching on career skills to graduating high school students.
“We orient them about jobs which are in demand now and in the next five years,” Ballug said.
Officials of these line agencies, however, admit changing this mindset is very difficult.
They also stressed that in order to survive a world where a job opening has several applicants, venturing into a field where skills stand out more than education is an advantage. (Rimaliza Opiña)