12 April 2024 Manila, Philippines –Bossjob, the chat-first career platform revolutionizing professional hiring in Southeast Asia (SEA), reveals a trend of varying work setup preferences among job seekers and companies on its platform.
Bossjob reports that the number of job listings offering hybrid and remote work opportunities on its platform has doubled since it began supporting the demand in Q3 of 2023, underscoring a growing trend in the employment market.
The introduction of these flexible work options has also led to a substantial increase in job seeker interest. Bossjob reports a sevenfold rise in the number of candidates seeking remote or hybrid work arrangements, with about 32% of its over 3 million active job seekers exploring these options.
However, there are growing expectations of doing an on-site work arrangement. A survey of hundreds of respondents conducted by the hiring platform in February 2024 revealed that over half of job seekers (51%) say that they expect companies to require them to gradually return to the office four to five days a week. Meanwhile, 32% of those surveyed expect that companies would allow for a hybrid setup, while the remaining 15% expect that they can do a full remote work arrangement.
Bossjob’s findings align with a recent survey by tech giant Cisco, which highlighted the Philippines as having the second-highest rate in Asia-Pacific of employers mandating a full return to office work post-COVID-19. This survey found that 50% of companies within the country are now insisting on in-person attendance to enhance productivity.
According to Bossjob’s report, the growing expectations of going back to the office are mainly evident in white-collar jobs, including those in customer support and business process outsourcing (BPO) companies.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably reshaped our perceptions of work and life, leading to a shift towards varied work arrangements. Observations from our platform confirm a significant trend – the quest for flexible work setups is not merely a temporary shift but represents a fundamental change in expectations. This evolving landscape offers both challenges and opportunities for employers and job seekers alike, highlighting the importance of recognizing the diversity in work preferences. It underscores the necessity for adaptability and understanding as we navigate the future of work,” Bossjob CEO Anthony Garcia said.
Bossjob launches new features to meet job market demand
Recognizing the growing challenges in the job market, Bossjob has introduced new features on its platform to provide flexibility for hiring companies and job seekers alike.
Bossjob has launched a new feature allowing recruiters from around the world to connect with talent across parts of Asia, including the Philippines. Employers can now post their job openings globally on the Bossjob website by selecting the ‘International’ option and targeting specific countries where they seek top talent. This feature not only supports remote and outsourced team structures but also significantly cuts down on recruitment expenses, paving the way for a more inclusive and diverse global workforce.
Bossjob particularly sees the importance of making these job opportunities more accessible to Filipinos. The Philippines Freelance Market 2022 Report suggested many Filipinos thrive as freelancers, benefitting from overseas freelancing opportunities.
Additionally, the hiring platform has launched the remote jobs section, making it easier for talents to scroll around the opportunities that best suit them. Job seekers can easily go to the “Remote Jobs” section of the Bossjob website and check hundreds of remote job positions across various industries, including information technology, customer service, human resources, sales, finance, manufacturing, banking, and healthcare.
Bossjob’s platform now offers greater access to remote jobs, perfectly aligning with the burgeoning trend of digital nomadism in the Philippines. This lifestyle, which merges remote work with a zeal for travel, adventure, and cultural exploration, is gaining traction across Southeast Asia. Notably, the Philippines has emerged as a leading destination for digital nomads, securing a spot among the top 10 remote work hubs globally in 2023, according to a survey by the travel platform Nomad List.
Aside from the newly introduced features, Bossjob allows for a direct chat between users and hiring companies. This enables not only job seekers to specify their work preferences in more detail but also companies, especially those who are offering onsite positions, to engage prospective applicants by highlighting additional offerings beyond the job posting, including incentives, benefits, and unique work advantages. The feature ensures that both job seekers and employers can make informed decisions, fostering a more effective employment matchmaking process.
“We at Bossjob are dedicated to evolving alongside the global job market to meet the needs of both employers and job seekers. Our latest features are designed to break down geographical barriers and open up a wealth of opportunities, reflecting our commitment to innovation, flexibility, and inclusivity in the professional hiring process,” Garcia said.
The hiring platform also offers its Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled talent matching function that provides job seekers with suggestions based on their qualifications and requirements, including their work arrangement preference.
With a growing presence in Asia, including the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, and Hong Kong, Bossjob aims to reach over 30 million users in SEA by 2026. As part of its efforts to expand its global market, it has started offering free services this year.
Join the future of work with Bossjob and explore the opportunities waiting for you at https://bossjob.com/
About Bossjob
“Find Job. Talk to Boss.”
Launched in 2018, Bossjob is a chat-first career platform for professional hiring in Southeast Asia, modeled after the one thing we need in our daily lives – instant gratification. Bossjob aims to provide speedy communications between talents and bosses to eliminate lengthy, or worse, unanswered, application processes through direct chat. Bossjob positions itself as the chat-first career platform for professional hiring in Southeast Asia with its innovative MDD model of “mobile + direct chat + AI-matching,” introducing direct chat into the recruitment scene. With the help of cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies and big data, the platform recommends highly suitable and active candidates to employers and relevant job opportunities to job seekers. This enhances matching accuracy for both parties, reduces information asymmetry, and improves recruitment efficiency.