IS IT TRULY DIFFICULT AS A FILIPINO TO FIND WORK?

[Jack Peterson]

1 hour ago, intrepid said:

Better be careful Jack.  They might put you to work.

 maybe, maybe but WE can sure teach most a thing or or two about working 

[Queenie O.]

Not even sure if this response is even related to the original post or of interest, but I thought I'd just throw out some random thoughts and observations that I had about jobs and life here in the province., and some now in the city.

  Many young local people here end up following in their parents' footsteps and become farmers or fishermen, carpenter's assistant, mason or maybe tricycle drivers or habal habal drivers etc. The most enterprising and talented laborers will become jacks of all trades, and jobs are more plentiful for them.

Lack of education, not always the decent English skills or not being the right age or having the right looks can be a deterrent sometimes in finding/keeping a job in the city. The rent and food costs eating into ones profits while working away from their home town. can be a deterrent sometimes too. That being said, there are still local young guys and young women that know how to hustle, and in spite of these hardships, go out to the city and find work in factories, food/fast food service type work, restaurant  work etc. A niece of ours from the town has worked several factory and food service work in the city for six month stints, and every time that a job ends she hustles up another, This has been going on for quite a long time, she is rarely out of work for long.

I've noticed more over time, that some average people will save a small stake or get a loan/grant and start their own humble enterprises. Some people just seem to have more energy and drive and are excited about owning their own business.  How many foreigners have a wife or GF that dreams of having their own small business with a small neighborhood store, clothing shop or restaurant?  My husband's cousins (women) have all started small bbq stalls in Cebu City, and Leyte and have been quite successful, now employing their adult children in the business. Another male husband works the bbq, but has a sideline selling retread tires that does pretty well too. Other cousins are quite good bakers and do free-lance catering besides running a small store. These are just everyday people, some who in the past might have graduated or had some college courses behind them, or not much formal education. There are vendors all over the towns and cities, and enterprising folks of every age are making some kind of living from these ventures it seems. Maybe they didn't find a regular job so decided to make their own. How about the guys that will direct your parking or guard your car when you shop at a supermarket? They must have decided to create a niche job when they couldn't find another. We have some local young guys here that are talented self-taught barbers. They have a small rural barbershop in town that is quite popular.

There's a local young man in our neighborhood, a working student at a local college here in the province, gets up every morning around 4:30 to buy the first pandesal bread from a nearby bakery in the town proper. He then goes out on a small bicycle every morning rain or shine to peddle the bread through the different outlying neighborhoods. After he has sold it all, he haeds home and gets ready to go to classes. I'm sure.sure he doesn't earn that much, but it helps him with school expenses probably. Always cheerful and proud of the work that he does.

Many young people that have the skills and drive will go the IT route and put in long night shift hours and stick with it, when others will quit quit early on. 

 The lure of the fast buck/peso has also gotten many everyday men and women into the shabu business too.

I happened to strike up a conversation with a bonded female security guard at JMall in Mandaue City. today. She puts in 12 hours a day on her feet 6-7 days a week with no paid sick days or vacation days. She seemed to take it in stride though, and I could see that she took pride in her work.

Another random thought I had is that I often observe many elderly still driving tricylces and pedicabs pushing carts with scrap items, selling a basket of fish, vegetables, carrying brooms along the street for sale which, seems long after the time that they should be sitting on a porch somewhere enjoying a pastoral view. Why is that so?

I guess there will always be enterprising and ambitious folks of different ages and backgrounds that create of find jobs, but there will always be lazy people that will come up with every excuse not to have a job of any kind.

 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2017 by Queenie O.

[Gary D]

For some old folk it's work or starve. The reason behind the 6 month contracts is to do with the employment laws. After 6 months the employer has to start paying SSS, Philheath etc. Keep rolling the contracts avoids this un-necessary expense.

[stevewool]

6 hours ago, Queenie O. said:

Not even sure if this response is even related to the original post or of interest, but I thought I'd just throw out some random thoughts and observations that I had about jobs and life here in the province., and some now in the city.

  Many young local people here end up following in their parents' footsteps and become farmers or fishermen, carpenter's assistant, mason or maybe tricycle drivers or habal habal drivers etc. The most enterprising and talented laborers will become jacks of all trades, and jobs are more plentiful for them.

Lack of education, not always the decent English skills or not being the right age or having the right looks can be a deterrent sometimes in finding/keeping a job in the city. The rent and food costs eating into ones profits while working away from their home town. can be a deterrent sometimes too. That being said, there are still local young guys and young women that know how to hustle, and in spite of these hardships, go out to the city and find work in factories, food/fast food service type work, restaurant  work etc. A niece of ours from the town has worked several factory and food service work in the city for six month stints, and every time that a job ends she hustles up another, This has been going on for quite a long time, she is rarely out of work for long.

I've noticed more over time, that some average people will save a small stake or get a loan/grant and start their own humble enterprises. Some people just seem to have more energy and drive and are excited about owning their own business.  How many foreigners have a wife or GF that dreams of having their own small business with a small neighborhood store, clothing shop or restaurant?  My husband's cousins (women) have all started small bbq stalls in Cebu City, and Leyte and have been quite successful, now employing their adult children in the business. Another male husband works the bbq, but has a sideline selling retread tires that does pretty well too. Other cousins are quite good bakers and do free-lance catering besides running a small store. These are just everyday people, some who in the past might have graduated or had some college courses behind them, or not much formal education. There are vendors all over the towns and cities, and enterprising folks of every age are making some kind of living from these ventures it seems. Maybe they didn't find a regular job so decided to make their own. How about the guys that will direct your parking or guard your car when you shop at a supermarket? They must have decided to create a niche job when they couldn't find another. We have some local young guys here that are talented self-taught barbers. They have a small rural barbershop in town that is quite popular.

There's a local young man in our neighborhood, a working student at a local college here in the province, gets up every morning around 4:30 to buy the first pandesal bread from a nearby bakery in the town proper. He then goes out on a small bicycle every morning rain or shine to peddle the bread through the different outlying neighborhoods. After he has sold it all, he haeds home and gets ready to go to classes. I'm sure.sure he doesn't earn that much, but it helps him with school expenses probably. Always cheerful and proud of the work that he does.

Many young people that have the skills and drive will go the IT route and put in long night shift hours and stick with it, when others will quit quit early on. 

 The lure of the fast buck/peso has also gotten many everyday men and women into the shabu business too.

I happened to strike up a conversation with a bonded female security guard at JMall in Mandaue City. today. She puts in 12 hours a day on her feet 6-7 days a week with no paid sick days or vacation days. She seemed to take it in stride though, and I could see that she took pride in her work.

Another random thought I had is that I often observe many elderly still driving tricylces and pedicabs pushing carts with scrap items, selling a basket of fish, vegetables, carrying brooms along the street for sale which, seems long after the time that they should be sitting on a porch somewhere enjoying a pastoral view. Why is that so?

I guess there will always be enterprising and ambitious folks of different ages and backgrounds that create of find jobs, but there will always be lazy people that will come up with every excuse not to have a job of any kind.

 

 

 

A pleasure to read this Queenie .

[sonjack2847]

I suppose it`s quite difficult to get a job if your ass is stuck to the chair.

[scott h]

All I can comment for sure about is, is about my personal family experience. Wife worked for Dept or tourism, BIL works for Phil State Department. Other BIL worked as a Pharma rep. All University Grads.

Next generation of 4 daughters (nieces). All University Grads 3 nurses 1 computer type. 2 now live in the states, 2 live in Australia.

It has been commented on many times in many topiks, the biggest threat to this country isn't corruption, typhoons, terrorism or even Filipino time its the BRAIN DRAIN.

[Old55]

I think Foreigners sometimes get the wrong opinion when we view small groups of Filipino men sitting around drinking and think it's typical. What we don't see are all the hardworking men out on job sites..... except those Baranguy traffic director dudes waving their arms in a circle while standing in the middle of an intersection dodging vehicles and breathing God only knows what exhaust gasses. 

[Old55]

5 minutes ago, scott h said:

All I can comment for sure about is, is about my personal family experience. Wife worked for Dept or tourism, BIL works for Phil State Department. Other BIL worked as a Pharma rep. All University Grads.

Next generation of 4 daughters (nieces). All University Grads 3 nurses 1 computer type. 2 now live in the states, 2 live in Australia.

It has been commented on many times in many topiks, the biggest threat to this country isn't corruption, typhoons, terrorism or even Filipino time its the BRAIN DRAIN.

True, the best and brightest are OFW's.

[Jake]

22 hours ago, Old55 said:

A very general question.... is it truly difficult for an average Filipino to find work in Philippines? Ask any Filipino and I get the big eyes and "Oh my it's so hard to find a job". Most Filipinos I know living near or in Cebu City have a job and do work on a regular basis. As an Expat what are your thoughts?

Wow Dan, already 6 pages of comments -- all very good thoughts, especially coming from a New England girl name Queenie.  

I gonna take a stab at this by trying to answer your question with more questions.  As you may know, I haven't been back to my native land since 1997, where peso to the dollar was 24 to 1.  Until Marcos was exiled in 1986, both denomination were strong and life was generally good (Subic Bay Naval base and Clark AFB was still active).    

I believe after that, the massive migration of OFW started to flood the middle east with Filipino college grads, teachers and engineers taking up as cooks, nannies, drivers and construction workers.  The big black eye was the disparity between the rich and poor, the corruption machine getting more lubricated and the need to have "connections" was the only way to get a decent job.  

Throw in the illicit drug methamphetamine hydro chloride (shabu), exported from Japan and other Asian countries and you end up with a generation(s) of addicts and of course not gainfully employed, even with a college degree.  This one drug alone (in my view) greatly affected the traditional family values where thousands of homeless and abandoned boys and girls populated the streets (the perpetual baby making).  Just as horrendous is the govt sanctioned and lucrative flesh market of young and pretty girls that are "contracted" out to Japan -- the infamous Japayuki.

Any signs of quality of life improving under the current administration?  Do you see more homeless on the street (the future generation)?  What is the poverty level these days?  What about the OFW's -- do they still struggle to find a local job with decent wages, only to be forced to go elsewhere?  Are the Filipino oligarchs still getting richer while the poor continues to fight for every bowl of rice?  

Respectfully Jake

Edited August 11, 2017 by Jake
spel chek

[Old55]

 Jake, it could be the ruling families want just what you describe. Educated intelligent and ambitious young people would present a high risk to the status quo. Brings another question one for you Jake.... Why did Judy and Ann (both very smart and educated) marry a couple dumb a#* like us?