Workbank Partners with Canva to Enable Job Seekers Create Powerful Resumes

With its commitment to investing in job seekers, Workbank, a job site founded on malasakit or compassion and care, establishes partnerships that will give users access to free trainings and seminars.

Workbank partners with design platform, Canva, to give free and exclusive trainings that will empower job seekers to create resumes with simple but professional-looking designs.

Canva is an online tool and mobile app that enables users to design and publish anytime, anywhere through its simple drag-and-drop feature, built-in layouts, and intuitive controls.

“Unlike in the past, job seekers today don’t have to go through the tedious manual searching on newspapers’ classified ads and walking-in to offices to drop their CVs. With everything online these days, it’s very easy to submit your resume. The real challenge is catching the eye of the recruiter,” shares Reggie Fernandes, Country Head of Workbank.

“The fast-paced evolution of the ever-growing online job matching industry also means an increased number of competitions. We are partnering with Canva Philippines to hold workshops for job seekers hoping to equip them in their job search. They will learn how to design powerful resumes that will stand out from the pile. Filipino talents have so much potential and we want to help them translate this into resumes that are worth a second look,” Fernandes added.

Job seekers can access free and exclusive trainings with Canva after completing their profile on Workbank. Other trainings are also posted on Workbank’s website, and all the applicant has to do is invest their time by registering and showing up.

“We believe in the Filipino talent. We want to provide them with resources that will help alleviate some of the pressures and pains of job application. Filipino workers have the drive to succeed, and we would like to encourage them to take advantage of these training opportunities that can give them an edge among their peers,” said Fernandes.

For more information, visit www.workbank.com

About Workbank

Workbank is an online job portal that invests in Filipinos not only by connecting them to job opportunities across the country, but also by ensuring they are equipped with information and resources to help them be the most productive they can be. Established in 2018, Workbank is a Filipino-ran tech company with a heart. Their "malasakit" for the Filipino talent manifests in their exclusive perks and free trainings for job seekers.

Workbank, a New Job Portal Enters the PH Market

Purpose and growth might seem like mere buzzwords one wishes to anchor a career on, but such is the business of Workbank, a talent solutions platform that matches job hunters with companies.

A game-changer in the conventional, otherwise tedious and nerve-wracking job-hunt, Workbank is not a one-way street that favors only the companies. By putting people first, this platform ensures that applicants are ready and can stay in their ideal job, which is what recruiters ultimately look for in ideal candidates. It’s a win-win for both sides of the recruitment fence.

Taking that extra leap to encourage self-improvement and preparedness, Workbank partnered with companies like Grab and Zalora to provide discounts to job hunters who want to better present themselves. In addition to this, this job portal also has been providing free training to scale up a job hunter’s chances at getting employed. And all of these is anchored on a virtue that is uniquely Filipino, malasakit.

In the recent press launch of Workbank, its country head Reggie Fernandes said, “As a very young institution, we have a lot ahead to position ourselves differently. We are dynamic, we are agile, we have strong technology backing, and we have investors overseas that have put a lot behind what they believe is the story of malasakit. This is very important for us because we know how hardworking and talented Filipinos are.”

Their job-seeking development strategy comes with an E-Card that marks exclusive perks to Workbank users. The E-Card can be used for discounts at partner merchants such as ClassPass, Electric Studio, Urban Ashram and Wendy’s. Anyone who registers on the page and reaches a 70 percent profile progress can avail this E-Card in just a few clicks.

Workbank will continue to strengthen their job hunters’ skill set and credibility with the right partnerships and smart-match technology. This ensures that candidates are always provided opportunities for growth, not just through trainings but also through jobs that meet their skill and experience.

Fernandes also added that Workbank will not just be a portal but will have a unique roadmap for job hunters in search of a purpose-driven career. “Our philosophy is investing in people, so we operate in the principle of ‘Invest in good people and you get back in multiple fold for all the companies in our platform.’”


About Workbank

Workbank is an online job portal that invests in Filipinos not only by connecting them to job opportunities across the country, but also by ensuring they are equipped with information and resources to help them be the most productive they can be. Established in 2018, Workbank is a Filipino-ran tech company with a heart. Their "malasakit" for the Filipino talent manifests in their exclusive perks and free trainings for job seekers.

Investment Incentives Matter for Industry Development and Jobs generation

With rising globalization and  economic integration through free trade agreements, competition for foreign direct investments has heightened. Even within regional groupings like the EU and ASEAN, countries compete and reinforce their tax and other incentives to attract and influence the decisions of investors especially if all the basic infrastructures and investment climate are relatively similar to each other.  In countries like Thailand and Vietnam, investment incentives contributed to achieve rapid growth. Developing countries would even increase incentives to make up for certain infrastructure handicap or disadvantages.

As DTI Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said, “Not all incentives are wasted, not all incentives are bad.  Incentives are able to attract investments into the country which would not have come in considering the advantages of other countries in terms of infrastructure, cost efficiencies, labor costs or resource availability. Incentives can help compensate for the disadvantages in locating in our country.”

Usec Rodolfo added “At this point, and following President Duterte’s mission to make lives of the Filipinos comfortable, we need all the jobs we can generate, to help uplift their lives out of poverty.

“Investors who have availed of incentives have likewise paid revenues on other tax dues coming from their operations.  Taxes were paid such as on withholding taxes from salaries, VAT, real estate taxes and the net effect is positive revenue contribution to the government”, Rodolfo said.

Based on TIMTA data from 2015 to 2017, the top ten PEZA enterprises paid total taxes of P45.3B while income tax incentives availed amounted to P45.1B resulting in a net revenue position of P0.2B.  Their exports which accounted for 22% of the country’s total reached US $40.7B in the same period. Their local purchases totaled P110.1B. In the same period, number of workers per year averaged 165,300.

Rodolfo cited that one high-tech electronics company posted a cumulative net tax revenue of P3B during its presence in the Philippines from 1981-2018, as its total taxes paid stood at P5.2B versus its income tax incentives availed of P2.2B.  During the period, exports totaled $3.9B, local purchases of P22.2B, salaries and wages paid amounted to P67.6B while employment expanded from 3,378 workers in 1990 to 24,222 in 2018, just for that company.

According to Rodolfo, in terms of BOI income tax holiday, companies also contribute revenues to government in the form of other taxes paid and the ratio is around 1:4.7 or for every one peso incentive, the companies pay around P4.70 for other taxes.   In 2017, the BOI Total Incentives Availed was Php27Bn; but Total Taxes Paid was Php128Bn. More importantly, BOI incentives are time-bound. After 4yrs, there is no foregone revenue but the Tax Payments continue on.

Based on the above, Rodolfo concluded that “incentives do not all result in leakages.  They definitely result in investments, job creation, expansion of domestic capacities and Net positive revenues to government.  So let us manage the transition period better.”

He reiterated the DTI Secretary’s position that “We are for the tax reform proposal especially in making the incentives timebound but we have to carefully manage the transition, and not rush the cutting of incentives such as the 5% GIE that we promised to the PEZA locators. Affected exporter-locators have expressed concern that the change in the system may compel them to redirect their expansion plans elsewhere and even risk the possible transfer of their current operations to other countries.  There is a risk and we should minimize all the risks as we need all the jobs we can generate.

We should therefore be careful in the transition for those who are 100% exporters and labor intensive and are paying more than what they receive in terms of incentives. We also need to take into account innovative companies that are upgrading their products and moving up the value chain along with companies whose activities address gaps in and whose operations are crucial to the supply or value chain or activities that would increase competition in the domestic market.”

Specifically we should consider a 5-10 year range of transition.  In the meantime, the GIE can also be brought up to 8% so there can be an immediate additional revenue that can help balance the planned reduction in Corporate Income Tax.

Workbank Spearheads Free Training for Filipinos in Partnership with SCALE

Essential skills. Employers these days are looking beyond the polished and impressive curriculum vitae. There are skills that enterprises need for better business efficiency. Workbank, a jobs and careers site, believes in investing in Filipino job seekers through free training and seminars, which will allow them to find the right opportunities.

By partnering with SCALE, Workbank is able to further strengthen its efforts by equipping Filipinos with these soft skills that will set them apart from other job candidates. Training and mentorship will scale up their employability.

In a recently concluded training Workbank spearheaded and in collaboration with SCALE, Filipino job seekers were able to elevate their holistic skills increasing their chances of getting employment the soonest possible time through the free training held last month.

The training was divided into two types: SCALE Basics and SCALE Pro.

SCALE Basics is a training program that prepares individuals to build their foundational skills such as Purpose, Values and GRIT. This is geared toward inexperienced job seekers who may have just graduated from college. SCALE Pro, as the name suggests, is intended for working professionals who want to build soft skills such as communication, analytical and critical thinking, and work ethic.

These soft skills are skills not taught in schools or universities. Students buried their noses in books to be able to master their specialization. SCALE focuses on building soft skills, which are a combination of values, people skills, communication skills, social, emotional and digital intelligence.

"We hope to complement job seekers learned technical skills from college in order for them to excel and be fully equipped in this age of the modern workforce; bottom line is one cannot just be good at being an accountant; you need to know how to communicate well and solve the issues you encounter and manage stress," said Carla Mumar, CEO and Founder of SCALE.

Workbank, for its part, strengthens the integrity of its pool of talents building credibility among companies and organizations who use the platform to find the right individuals with certain skill sets.

"At Workbank, we want to make sure that the candidates are ready for their job interview and have all the possible resources they can provide to make the journey better and life-changing," said Reggie Fernandes, country head, Workbank. "We want to help Filipinos have a productive and empowered future."

Workbank said this is just a start because it has committed itself to invest in Filipino job seekers so they will be able to tread the right career path and find the right fit for them.

For more information, visit www.workbank.com.

About Workbank

Workbank is an online job portal that invests in Filipinos not only by connecting them to job opportunities across the country, but also by ensuring they are equipped with information and resources to help them be the most productive they can be. Established in 2018, Workbank is a Filipino-ran tech company with a heart. Their "malasakit" for the Filipino talent manifests in their exclusive perks and free trainings for job seekers.

DTI: New Technologies Will Not Lead to Job Loss but Will Bring in New Types of Jobs, Better Productivity

Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez dispelled fears over possible job losses due to the emerging new technologies in various industries.

"Technology leads to innovation and new approach in doing things. It won’t always lead to loss of jobs but rather provide opportunities for the industry to increase productivity and introduce new high-paying jobs for Filipino workers. We should welcome it and be ready to adapt to this phase of industrialization. In fact, continuous innovation is needed if companies are to remain competitive," said Sec. Lopez.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) chief acknowledged technology is essential to improve efficiencies, and productivity.  He also noted that upskilling is an important adaptive strategy for Filipino workforce to remain in demand in any type of business.

"People will have to be upskilled and retrained to upgrade their current skills and acquire new ones to remain relevant.  There are current programs integrating new skillset requirements with schools and training centers to prepare the students and the current workforce. Many companies also provide upskilling and retraining programs as well as apprenticeship opportunities," shared Sec. Lopez.

The trade chief emphasized that technology change is not just happening now as there have been different periods of industrialization-- from the first to the fourth Industrial Revolution-- where forms of jobs changed but the human labor market remained relevant and needed. This started with manual labor to produce things, leading into the advent of mass production and concepts of having production lines where workers learned how to run and work with machines.

Sec. Lopez underscored that when people worked with machines, jobs were not lost as it opened other areas of employment such as manufacturing, servicing, and maintenance of machines.

He cited the entry of automated teller machines (ATMs) in banks as an example, noting that there was a fear back then that bank tellers would lose their jobs. As of today, bank tellers are still present and needed with more value added functions, focusing on account management and customer service. Jobs were not lost since the ATMs also serve the transaction needs of customers 24/7, beyond office hours and tellers were not performing these tasks anyway. Thus, the use of ATMs provided greater customer service and better productivity.  Sec. Lopez added that the loading of cash in each ATM as well as its maintenance still require human labor.

The coming of internet and connectivity brought a lot of new opportunities in e-commerce, more buyer-seller platforms such as Airbnb, eBay, Grab, and tons of opportunities such as Youtube-ing, in game development and gaming, digital advertising and networking.

"The case of ATMs is the same with the advent of robots and mechanization, which usually perform repetitive, dangerous or high-precision jobs.  Humans are still needed to design, manufacture, program or train the system software and maintain the robots" Sec. Lopez added.

In the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), chatbots and data analytics, the trade chief said that new skillsets are required. Many things are happening and bound to change. Some systems are now AI-enabled, making the jobs of people easier. But people are also the ones developing and maintaining the AI systems.

Upon consultation with AI industry experts, Dado Banatao and George Yang of AI-Pros, the DTI Secretary noted that the use of AI in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry is a win-win for both the industry and Filipino workforce. While AI is cost-effective for completing multiple tasks faster and with less error, it will also allow the human workforce to increase their competitiveness in performing tasks ranging from simple to complex within the same timeframe, which are high-value and high-paying tasks.

"By combining the sizeable Filipino workforce possessing the appropriate skills and talents with AI-powered technologies, the Philippines will be poised to be the AI-driven BPO capital of the world," said Sec. Lopez.

“We are now seeing people in the BPO industry operating AI-enabled systems, where previously rejected job seekers in BPOs are now finding themselves with more job opportunities to do simpler tasks in operating AI-enabled systems. We’ve seen BPO operations in Manila where AI and chatbots are the first line of contact of clients. However, these were managed by a human operator, who is also now capable of managing two or three simultaneous calls attended by the AI-enabled system,” shared the trade chief.

According to George Yang, AI also widens the reach of opportunities to the underprivileged, citing that even high school graduates, market workers, or street vendors can be trained to operate AI-enabled systems. The most vital requirement is just the ability to understand and speak English, which Filipinos are very good at.

"Such is an example where technology can even make the opportunities more inclusive.  Yes, there are challenges but there are more opportunities. Our education and training systems, including TESDA, are now offering training programs to enable our workforce to catch up on the new job trends and prepare them for the ever-changing technology. But we're confident that we can achieve this goal of creating job and employment opportunities that are more inclusive even in the future,” Sec. Lopez concluded.

Workbank Invests in Students, Filipino Youth with Platform for Easy Job Hunting

Workbank, an online talent solutions platform, believes that finding the right job match can be exciting and rewarding. The youth or any Filipino looking for a new job should be encouraged when sifting through the lists of potential employers.

Workbank carried out an Intercept Survey in November to get an overview of what motivates the Filipino youth when looking for possible employment. The survey reveals that 33% of respondents, 19-24 years old, consider better pay as the main factor in accepting a job offer, while 32% said they would go for a job that would allow them enough flexibility to still work and do things that they love. The rest wants a job that offers them professional development.

Workbank, was introduced to the Philippines by Aventus Informatics, a tech company in India, in 2017 to invest in Filipinos and help them connect with the right job opportunities across the country. The online platform is designed to make information and resources easily accessible when deciding on what job to apply for.

According to the January 2018 Labor Force Survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority, 18 million of the 47 million employed workers in the country belong to the youth sector.

"Workbank continuously works to provide young people the resources to start and progress in the careers they aspire for," said Workbank Country Head Reggie Fernandes.

In utilizing technology, Workbank designed matching tools for job hunters and recruiters to find the right job for them. The time saved can be used for looking for other matches. This widens the job hunters’ opportunities and gives them more options. Workbank's complete recruitment tool allows recruiters to track their candidate from the beginning of the application to the hiring process.

"Our smart job matching tools not only connect you to the jobs that meet your qualifications but enable recruiters to find you and offer you better opportunities," shared Fernandes.

Workbank's investment with the youth comes also in the form of training with partners Grab and Zalora to arm them with additional employment skills. Recruiters not only look for degrees and diplomas but also skills that would benefit companies and organizations. The training sessions will give them an edge over other applicants in terms of competency and proficiency.

Upon signing up on Workbank, job hunters qualify for a P100-discount on a Grab ride when they use it going to the job interview. For a minimum spend of P1,500 on Zalora, new signees on Workbank get P300 off. For fresh graduates who are asked for a transcript of records and diploma, another Workbank partner, Papeles.ph will give 20% discount for document processing upon signing up.

The referral system works best for both the applicants and recruiters. It helps not only the referrer because they earn something extra that they can use in other job-hunting requirements but also the one being referred to because they also get closer to the right job fit. The more talents the more options for recruiters and the bigger is the possibility that they would employ the person they are looking for.

The top 10 referrers for the month receive Sodexo Premium Pass Gift Certificates. They also have a chance to win as much as P7,000 worth of GCs.

“Workbank believes that investing in talents by empowering them with resources to help them land the job they aspire for will encourage them more to look for their perfect fit and not settle for anything less,” said Fernandes. “Landing a job is harder, staying is the hardest so it is important that from the beginning, applicants have the option to compare potential employment and grab the ones that answer their reasons for applying.”

For more information, visit www.workbank.com.


About Workbank

Workbank is an online talent solutions platform that invests in Filipinos not only by connecting them to job opportunities across the country, but also by ensuring they are equipped with information and resources to help them be the most productive they can be. Founded in 2017, Workbank is the flagship brand of Aventus Informatics, a tech company based in India that develops a wide range of products using the smartest technologies.

FASTJOBS HONORS THE BLUE-COLLAR WORKER

Last May 16 and 17, 2019, in celebration of Labor Day Month, FastJobs – Philippines’ fastest growing online jobs portal – gave away free tickets to Star City to 200 families, gathering over 800 at Rizal Park where the event was held. 

“FastJobs came up with this event because we believe that family is the reason why our Jobseekers are motivated to find work and improve their family’s lives. This gathering gives them the opportunity to actually enjoy the fruits of their hard work and spend it with people they love most,” shares Sebastian San, the Assistant Director, Regional Partnerships of FastJobs. “At FastJobs, we understand and fully support the family-oriented culture of the Filipino.” 

As a pioneering HR tech company, FastJobs has for years been the champion of the blue-collar worker, also regarded as the “forgotten, unsung heroes.” “They are the backbone of the economy, and it is only fitting that we make it easier for them to find the jobs that match their skills and which meet the needs of employers.” 

FastJobs is a re-imagination of the ultimate hiring platform, built for speed and efficiency with mobile-first innovations such as FastChat, Resume Builder, and Group Broadcast Capabilities. This helps employers save time and resources to hire fast. 

The platform works by having the jobseekers download the FastJobs App on their mobiles. After registering, they can immediately start submitting their job applications. With FastJobs’ easy-to-use features, it is a quick and simple process for jobseekers to apply for job opportunities. 

On the other hand, employers are also empowered. They are given access to a web-based dashboard to manage candidates and job applications, as well as provided analytics to hire more effectively. With FastChat, they save time and avoid missed connections with jobseekers through the instant messaging feature.

“What sets FastJobs apart is really our focus on the blue-collar workforce, mobile-first approach, and our innovative features,” adds San. “In addition, we believe that our after-sales support is extremely important. This is so that our employers receive the help they need and find the right talent. Fast!”

FastJobs is more than just a job searching portal, it helps build community and brings back dignity to manual labor. Here, Filipinos will find not only like-minded partners and jobseekers, but discover a world of greater work opportunity. 

The FastJobs mobile app is now available for download in Singapore, Malaysia, and Philippines at the Android Play store and Apple App store. 

About FastJobs

FastJobs is Philippines’ fastest growing online jobs portal that focuses on recruitment of the Blue-Collar Workforce. Founded by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) as a startup, the platform was officially launched in April 2015 and has been transforming the way people are connected to jobs, with over 1 million mobile application downloads across the region. 

The company’s vision is, “To provide everyone equal access to job opportunities”. As FastJobs expands across Southeast Asia, the company utilizes key data insights to support better job matching; promoting greater personal economic growth and improving peoples’ lives.