The pandemic has accelerated digitalisation as we have never seen before, in our last article ‘Is it time to venture into a new sector?’ we mentioned that one of the sectors that benefitted during this time was the e-commerce industry. E-commerce has always been on the rise but the pandemic has quickly accelerated the use of it. Revenue in the E-commerce market is projected to reach $1,623,264m in 2021 and user penetration will be 53.3% in 2021 and is expected to hit 68.2% by 2025. Retail companies that were previously only selling their products in physical stores are now moving online.
The digital shift paved the way for an influx of roles in E-commerce such as Digital Marketing, Social Media, and Web Development. Companies have also sought out Product Managers and Business Development Managers who have experience in Digital Marketing and E-commerce. Due to the sudden increase in demand for these skill sets, most candidates have tried to address this by enrolling on short courses. However, there are still companies that prefer candidates with significant work experience and a history of achievements where their digital skillsets were showcased.
Research by LinkedIn and Burning Glass Technologies in the 'APEC Closing the Digital Skills Gap Report - Trends and Insights' has found that in developing economies such as Indonesia, Philippines and Mexico, the demand for digitally skilled workers has been growing much faster than supply. The report stated that “digitalisation is widespread and has reached most corners of every economy. No longer a feature of subset industries, occupations, or skill levels. Digital skills are now a useful and necessary part of a worker’s toolkit.”
Lorenz Bigayan, Executive Recruitment Consultant, from Monroe Philippines Consumer Goods Division, commented “it’s a tough competition out there. Finding the best talents who match the current job market need is becoming harder due to the high demand for these skill sets. If companies are not fast enough to hire, they will be losing out to their competitors.”
Cherry Anne Santos, Executive Recruitment Consultant, from Monroe Philippines Health Division, says “there are many companies who demand talent with these digital skills but their salary budget still cannot make amends with the cost of these talents on board”. She further commented that despite the challenges “we at Monroe Consulting Group, try to mediate between candidates and companies and provide the best solution for a win-win. As Recruitment Consultants, we remain optimistic that whilst the retail sector has been severely affected in the past year, it would breed more online jobs post-pandemic and can balance disruption and continuity in the present time”.
Monroe Consulting Group offers creative solutions to workforce challenges and has partnered with various multinational and local companies to cultivate careers and build businesses across all industries, including consumer goods, health, industrial, professional and technology. Contact us at Monroe Consulting Group