Sugarcane farming is 2nd hottest job in PH

A WORKER chops newly harvested sugarcane in a farm in Concepcion town, Tarlac province, that is part of the more than 6,000-hectare Hacienda Luisita, an estate owned by the family of President Aquino, which the government allegedly wants to remain dedicated to sugar production. LYN RILLON

Here’s a sweet surprise for the Philippines’ agriculture industry: For the first time in recent history, sugarcane farming has become the second hottest job in the country.

According to Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) data posted in January on the government’s official job portal, www.phil-job.net, there are 12,400 vacancies for sugarcane farmers and 100 job openings for sugarcane grinders.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz on Wednesday said this was the first time sugarcane work landed in the top 20 in-demand jobs on the government’s job portal.

“We were surprised and at the same time we are happy because [agricultural workers do not usually] figure as in demand,” Baldoz said in an interview.

The unexpected demand for sugarcane farmers can be credited to the stable sugar prices in the global market, she said.

“The price of sugar is unaffected by whatever developments in the world, so supply for sugar is still in demand and that means good investment for our sugar industry, whether for planters, millers and distributors,” she added.

A quick check of the website showed that 7,400 sugarcane farmers were still needed as of Wednesday.

The vacancies are in Matalam, North Cotabato province, one of the sugar-producing provinces in the country.

The openings are all at one company listed as High Yield Sugar Farms Corp.

When asked if there were problems in filling the demand, Baldoz said that since it is a novelty, the Department of Labor and Employment will closely monitor applications and referrals made online.

“Phil-job.net will be able to monitor how many are applying online and it can also monitor the referral to the companies that are in need of workers and then they will be able to give us feedback on how many were hired. We have to monitor because this is a first,” Baldoz said.

As expected, the most sought-after job in the country is call center agent, with 28,996 vacancies posted since the start of the year.

For years, the demand for call center agents has not been met by the current supply even though the Philippines is one of the world’s leading providers of contact services.

Other vacancies

The other vacancies are for customer service assistants, production or factory workers, service crew, sewers, credit and collection specialists, staff nurses, cashiers, electronic equipment assemblers, cooks, domestic helpers, technical service advisers, merchandisers and production machine operators.

Among the top 20 hot jobs are metal arc welder, salesclerk, waiter, security guard and technical and commercial sales representative, with 1,200 to 1,600 vacancies.

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