THE Philippine labor market is poised for stronger activity in the second half of 2025, though employers face growing risks from fraudulent applications, according to Jobstreet’s Hiring, Compensation and Benefits Report 2025.
About 44 percent of hirers and human resource professionals expect higher recruitment levels this year compared with 2024, reflecting greater confidence in business expansion and demand. But faster hiring could also expose firms to higher risks of falsified credentials and misrepresented experience, industry executives warned.
“While the job market in the Philippines continues to thrive, so does the risk of encountering fraudulent applications,” said Ivy Ramirez, vice president for service and industrials at CIBI Information Inc., one of the country’s leading credit and information bureaus. “Falsifying credentials is a deception that directly affects a business.”
A global study by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners estimates that organizations lose about five percent of annual revenue to fraud. In the Philippines, where hiring momentum is rising, such risks can add costs, reduce productivity and erode trust in workplaces.
CIBI president and chief executive officer Pia Arellano said embedding verification systems into hiring is critical to sustaining growth.
“Growth is important, but it must go hand in hand with integrity,” she said.
CIBI, which provides background checks and identity verification services, said traditional interviews and reference checks are no longer sufficient as hiring scales up. More robust safeguards are needed to ensure candidates meet qualifications and to protect honest applicants in a crowded market.
The report underscores a key tension for employers in 2025: how to capitalize on expanding job opportunities while avoiding the risks of hasty recruitment. / KOC