PBEd survey shows 4 in 5 employers in PH ready to hire K-12 grads

MANILA, Philippines — Four in five employers in the Philippines are willing to hire K-12 graduates ithis year, the Philippine Business for Education’s (PBEd) 2024 Jobs Outlook Study has shown.

The survey released Wednesday, July 10, found that 86.6 percent of employers nationwide are ready to hire K-12 graduates while 13.4 percent of employers are “not keen on hiring them.”

PBEd said the study result is an increase from a similar survey it conducted in 2018 where only three in five employers were inclined to employ K-12 graduates in their companies.

READ: K-12 adjustments considered to boost SHS grads employability – Marcos

The 2024 Jobs Outlook Study also revealed that 88 percent of micro, medium, and small enterprises (MSMEs) and 78 percent of large companies are prepared to hire K-12 graduates.

During the survey period, PBEd said that 42 percent of MSMEs and 63 percent of large companies have K-12 graduates as employees.

The Philippine Business Education’s (PBEd) 2024 Jobs Outlook Study finds that four in five businesses in the Philippines are willing to hire K-12 graduates in 2024. | PHOTO: Philippine Business Education

The advocacy group then urged employers to offer “work-based training opportunities” so that K-12 students would become work-ready when they graduate.

“More businesses should actively engage in training K to 12 students by offering work-based training opportunities to ensure that the skills acquired by trainees meet the needs of the industry and address the persistent jobs-skills mismatch problem,” PBEd said.

“Employers hiring K to 12 graduates should provide the latter with opportunities for upskilling to allow these employees to perform higher-value jobs and promote job security,” it added.

PBEd said its 2024 Jobs Outlook Study involved 299 participants, consisting 258 MSMEs and 41 large companies and was conducted from December 2023 to February 2024.